TWO out of every five respondents to a survey on the Machattie Park bats were unconcerned by the threat of flying foxes being harmed in a bid to remove them from the park.
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Almost 150 people took part in the survey conducted as part of the preparation of a Camp Management Plan that was tabled at Bathurst Regional Council on Wednesday night.
Council commissioned Eco Logical Australia to prepare the plan in case flying foxes return to Machattie Park and King’s Parade as the weather warms up later this year.
The survey carried out by Eco Logical gave an insight into community attitudes towards the parks and the bats. Key findings included:
- 78 per cent of respondents rated limiting the impact on the trees or appearance of Machattie Park as very important or important.
- 67 per cent did not want to see that flying fox colony moved to another unsuitable site.
- Just 61 per cent thought it was important or very important that the flying foxes were not harmed.
Councillor Bobby Bourke welcomed the management plan, calling the flying foxes a “nuisance”.
“I hope the management plan will attack these bats that are in there prior to them landing,” he said.
“I don’t want another report here saying ‘this is what we’re going to do’ and ‘this is how we’re going to get rid of them’ once they’re camped in there.
“I want to make sure in this plan that we are attacking the bats.”
But in his report to councillors accompanying the management plan, engineering services director Darren Sturgiss warned that there were limits to what council could do.
The management plan suggests actions such as revegetating that Macquarie River to lure flying foxes away and deterrents such as noise emitters and canopy-mounted water sprinklers, but Mr Sturgiss said council would still have to comply with Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) regulations.
“OEH acknowledged the difficulties in managing the Machattie Park flying fox camp due the urban location, small size of Machattie Park, and limited ability to trim or remove trees due to their heritage values,” the report states.
“They have advised that if council chooses to disperse the camp, such actions will be extremely expensive, require repeated actions over an extended period of time, does not guarantee successful outcomes, flying foxes may establish in other or more sensitive locations, and that dispersals are highly contentious and controversial.”
The Flying Fox Camp Management Plan will go on public exhibition for 28 days.
