Friends of Glebe Wetlands in Bega, New South Wales | Community organisation

Friends of Glebe Wetlands

Locality: Bega, New South Wales

Address: Glebe Lagoon 2550 Bega, NSW, Australia

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24.01.2022 A little update.... We have been increasingly concerned that the developer for the Littlewoods Estate, located directly adjacent to the Grey-headed flying fox camp in Bega has knowingly misled staff from the Council and the DPIE about the number of trees to be removed. A media release has been sent into the local papers outlining this in more detail and will be shared once it is published. We are also seeking an explanation from Council about what this excavation work is, as... the developer gave another commitment that they would not start the heavy construction work on-site on the roadworks, etc. until the Grey-headed flying foxes had left for the winter. When heavy equipment started arriving on-site, we were told by a Council staff person not to be alarmed as they were just "storing the equipment on site". Then last Thursday morning, the day after the flood, the excavator was in action digging near the big sign at the entrance from East Street....

21.01.2022 Welcome everyone! Thought it time we had our own page. So much FOGW info gets shared in the Friends of Flying Foxes group that it became apparent we needed our own specific 'go to' page as well. Stay tuned for info, updates and news from this buzzing little environmentally active hotspot Feel free to message us if you would like to get involved!... https://www.facebook.com/groups/567801270222603/?epa=SEARCH_BOX See more

17.01.2022 Despite the increased water levels in our beautiful Glebe Lagoon(!), it is hoped that there will be enough of a reduction by next weekend in order for our usual monthly work bee to take place..details to soon be announced for next Saturday, 7th November..weather pending! Stay tuned

16.01.2022 Meanwhile on the northern stretches of our luscious lagoon today... Good to see plantings and signage withstanding the onslaught of the elements

15.01.2022 Welcome everyone! Thought it time we had our own page. So much FGW info gets shared in the Friends of Flying Foxes group that it became apparent we needed our own specific 'go to' page as well. Stay tuned for info, updates and news from this buzzing little environmentally active hotspot Feel free to message us if you would like to get involved!... https://www.facebook.com/groups/567801270222603/?epa=SEARCH_BOX See more

12.01.2022 So great to see our furry leather winged friends back in town.... Went to welcome the return of our foxy visitors at the lagoon today...Sounds like they had some settling in and catching up to do on all the local gossip... Monthly counting will be resuming on 20th November... Interested in helping with our surveys?... Just let us know...newbies and regulars always most welcome #flyingfoxes #greyheadedflyingfoxes .. (Apologies for the shaky film...) See more

08.01.2022 So....there has been further misplaced trust in this developer who was spoken with this week on site when seen erecting a construction fence (which exceeds boundaries, encroaching onto public/council land and effectively excludes the public as well as the counters from one of their counting stations). When asked why, since this is not supposed to take place until the ffs have departed, he told a member of FOGW that they had to get construction done before the "bats" came back.... When it was then explained to Mr Littlewood that there were still 8,000 in residence and with babies, he very loudly asserted that our FOGW member should pull down his own house and let the "bats" live there! It is now very apparent that this so called "environmentally sensitive" developer does not have the best interests of this vulnerable , threatened and protected keystone species as a top consideration in his efforts to 'develop' the area that has previously been an important buffer zone between local residents and the ffs. The FOGW are working on an event to show the wider community how important these animals are to us and our environment. We need to act fast.....and independent legal avenues are being investigated. If you would like to be involved and or have ideas, please send us through your email address if we dont already have it, so we can keep you in the loop. NB: the media release mentioned in this earlier post was never published. See more

07.01.2022 For those who have expressed concerns about the proximity of the new housing development adjoining the Glebe Lagoon (home to a seasonal colony of grey headed flying foxes), here is a brief update.... Evidently the ownership of the purchased land in 2016 has now changed to a new company who are developing the subdivision, hence the recent activity on the block. Conditions were developed at the time for maintaining a buffer between the flying fox camp and any development with t...he OEH (Office of Environment and Heritage). This concern prompted inquiries to be made by FOGW to council which has in turn now prompted the organising of a meeting between the developer and a representative from the councils planning dept to ensure the new developers are fully aware of the conditions and understand the issues involved. One positive thing gleaned and encouraging to learn, was that the developers are already showing a sensitivity and awareness towards indigenous heritage considerations which is uncommon. The forthcoming meeting will also include the consideration needed for limiting construction activities when the flying foxes are in the camp, as disturbance is likely. Also to be included in this meeting is the request that information distributed by the developer to prospective buyers includes the seasonal presence of the flying foxes so they are aware before purchasing. Members of FOGW are fairly confident at this stage that Council is managing well to limit the potential for conflict over the resident flying foxes involving the developer and/or future residents. ~ Photo credit unknown.

05.01.2022 A good message for Beltane.

04.01.2022 Fast forward 19 minutes to hear Friends of Glebe Wetlands' coordinator Hugh Pitty speaking with IndiMedia about our local grey headed flying-fox seasonal residents .....

03.01.2022 Great little flying-fox featurette on Gardening Australia last night. Here it is in case you missed it....

02.01.2022 The last of the flying foxes left our local camp last weekend. It is possible that they may have headed south to Gippsland rather than north as usual, given tha...t there are reportedly between 30,000 and 40,000 at the camp in Bairnsdale and thousands at three other camps in Gippsland...... It's anticipated the camp in Bega will reform in the spring (October or November) and so will our counting activities then. Thanks to everyone who was part of our regular counting activities this season, which was our eighth consecutive year of counting! Many many thanks to the amazing Hugh Pitty, our chief coordinator and gatherer of data. His dedication is of epic proportions

02.01.2022 What a record breaking turnout tonite with volunteers!! No less than 9 new recruits and another 9 experienced counters!! A massive THANKYOU to everyone who came and made that extra effort to help. Numbers were up for our batty friends too from last month and a count of 2225 for March 2020 at the Glebe Lagoon camp.