CORELLA destruction of vegetation, sporting fields and infrastructure is once again a major focus for Horsham Rural City Council.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Councillors passed a motion to note the progress of the council's Corella Management Plan at its March meeting on Monday night.
Corellas wreaked havoc in the region in January 2018, causing extensive damage to Horsham's Coughlin Park, Horsham College Oval, Horsham City Oval, Horsham Lawn Tennis Club and the city's croquet club.
The council engaged Rivertech Environment and Cultural Heritage Services to draft a Corella Management Plan. The council was provided an interim report for the Corella Management Plan, which was discussed at the meeting.
The report included a list of 10 recommendations and a suggested timeline for recommendations to be met.
The 10 interim report recommendations were:
- That the council continued to seek alternatives to lethal control methods of corellas (by end of May, 2019)
- That the council undertake a data collection project to determine flock densities, locations, feeding habits and food sources (by end of April, 2019)
- That the council undertake trials of food source manipulation and minimisation as these have been shown to have a positive result in discouraging foraging birds and therefore lessening on-ground damage (by end of April, 2019)
- That the council seeks the advice of a vertebrate pest expert for latest information regarding bird control methods (by end of April, 2019)
- That the council immediately adopts engineering solutions (such as covers, armoured cable or bird spikes) to new projects where these solutions could be of benefit (currently underway, by end of May 2019)
- That the council explores the option of retro fitting engineering solutions to infrastructure that is frequently damaged (Currently underway, end of May 2019)
- That the council explore opportunities to engage other local governments and the state government in their corella control planning (by end of April, 2019)
- That the council identify other stakeholders/potential partners beyond the council managed land who can collaborate and partner on the solutions process (by end of April, 2019)
- That the council identifies affected parties who can collaborate and partner on the solutions process (by end of April, 2019)
- That the council engages with the community and all stakeholders in promoting the draft Corella Management Plan (after May, 2019)
Cr Pam Clarke said the corella problem in the Horsham Rural City was "complex and difficult".
"This is only the first step in figuring out to do with them. Whatever we do, it won't make everyone happy," she said.
Cr David Grimble said the issue should be addressed to a higher authority than council.
"They create a lot of damage. We should be going further than this and raising it as a state issue. We should seek funding assistance through the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. The community is looking at us to do something about it," he said.
Cr John Robinson said he was concerned with the safety problems associated with corella destruction of power infrastructure.
See page 16:
Council development services director Angela Murphy said there was still work to be done by Rivertech in creating the management plan.
"We need all the data before we can sign off on the plan. There isn't just one solution but a number of solutions," she said.
The council announced plans in January to take a non-lethal approach to fixing the corella problem.
Ms Murphy said in January the council had liaised with key sporting and user groups to provide information and support while requesting they take responsibility of their own facilities and ovals.
Horsham Lawn Tennis Club has been using a gas scare gun on loan from the council. Meanwhile, Horsham Saints Cricket Club has received a populous place permit to use a firearm to control corella numbers at Coughlin Park.
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox twice weekly from the Wimmera Mail-Times. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Wimmera, sign up below.