• It is imperative that we as a group contribute to the health of the Tolga Scrub, for its own sake as well as its provision of habitat for flying foxes. Tolga has sometimes been the only maternity colony for SFFs on the Atherton Tablelands.
• The shrub layer makes it very difficult for us to seach for fallen bats
• Our work at the Tolga Scrub is one more avenue for our group to enter into partnerships with other community groups

REVEGETATION PROJECTS
We received a grant from the World Wide Fund for Nature (Threatened Species Network) in 2004 for a project "Abating Threats to Spectacled Flying Foxes and their Mabi Habitat". Our partners included the Atherton Shire Council, TREAT, Mareeba Environmental College, Eacham Revegetation Unit, and BRICMA. The aim of the project was to have 2 areas planted on the eastern side of the Tolga Scrub to limit edge effects and improve the integrity of this small fragment of forest.. Providing a bushy edge to the Scrub and closing the canopy, limits the effect of weeds and other invasive elements. Eacham Revegetation Unit dug the holes and students from the Mareeba Environmental College planted the trees. The trees had an initial setback as the treeguards we chose were inadequate for predation by pademelons. Stronger treeguards made from wire mesh and fixed to the ground with 3 tent-pegs ensured the safety of the young trees and they have done extremely well. One particularly bare area was fenced before planting, rather than using individual treeguards. All areas within the fence or within treeguards showed good ground cover even at the height of the dry season (see photos below), an indicatio of the level of predation by pademelons and rabbits. During the first dry season we started a watering system using old 20 litre water bottles from the recycling area of the local Waste Station. A small hole was drilled in the base to allow slow drip feed watering. The bottles were filled 3 times over a period of 6 weeks by a water truck. We have continued to maintain these plantings over the years.

Fenced area August 04		Tree Guards and watering system	Tree planting July 04

 

Fenced area November 06		Same view as above, February 06

Fortunately the WWF-funded planting survived Cyclone Larry in March 2006 as the wind blew from the west. However it did significant damage to the western side of the Scrub, including a large old fig tree that was the centrepiece of a picninc area, and under which we would always get a shady park while working in the Scrub. It was also an important creche tree for the young flying foxes before they could fly out with the colony. After dark, when their mothers had flown out, they would flap and climb their way to this tree and socialise. From here they had some clear space to practice flying without the impediment of canopy.

Tolga Bat Hospital met with the Atherton Shire Council in late 2006 to discuss the repair of this area. A draft landscaping plan is being drawn up by David Leech, andConservation Volunteers Australia have agreed to help plant the trees. An update on this project will be available later in 2007.

THE BATS
The Tolga Scrub is critical habitat for flying foxes. Spectacled flying foxes are usually at the Tolga Scrub, though the numbers will vary throughout the year, being least in winter. It is a very important maternity camp for them, and is sometimes the only maternity camp on the Tablelands. Census counts in November usually report about 5000 to 10000. The total count for Spectacleds in the Wet Tropics is about 180,000

The Little Red flying foxes (Pteropus scapulatus) are sometimes at Tolga, and often in large numbers compared to the Spectacleds. They rarely use Tolga as a maternity camp, but often arrive when the young are flying, around September. The numbers will sometimes build up by the end of the year to be over a million (estimate only), but they are usually gone again by March when the wet season sets in. Little Reds can do significant damage to the forest if they hang in the weaker mid-canopy trees. This damage is the result of their characteristic behaviour of hanging in 'bunches' - the branches cannot take the weight and often bend until they break. This damage will repair itself, unlike the damage being done by the cockatoos that results in the death of the tree. However the Little Reds are sometimes camped in large numbers and do no damage, by camping in the larger trees and hanging apart from each other, rather than in bunches. This seems to happen late in the year, just before mating season.

THE COCKATOOS
We work with the Atherton Shire Council which has trusteeship of the Tolga Scrub. Issues at the moment are weed control and the damage been done by the cockatoos after 4 consecutive years of heavy winter use by sulphur-crested cockatoos in 2000 to 2004. Council were granted a permit by QPWS to trial birdfrite as a deterrent. This was used successfully in 2003 and 2004 to deter the cockatoos from roosting in the Scrub, and in 2005 they didn't return. The situation will be monitored each winter. The starting date of the birdfrite is important, in that the young Spectacleds are still on their mothers during the day until mid March. We recommend that birdfrite ought not be be used until at least April.