Topic Talks with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services

Last week’s Topic Talk was presented by park rangers Troy and Wayne from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) and was attended by an enthusiastic and engaged group of members.  QPWS’s Manly office is responsible for a wide region from the Gold Coast to Caloundra covering everything from research, monitoring through to enforcement efforts. The talk not only covered information around zoning and boundaries, but also about how these are designated and the factors and data used to define them.  QPWS is also heavily involved in observation and study of wildlife and they gave an interesting session on Cetacean, Dolphin, Turtle and Dugong behaviour and how to spot ill or injured wildlife.  Wayne also gave and engaging session on migratory birdlife around the bay as well as some information on their turtle hatchling relocation efforts. QPWS also has this year rolled out a new Marine Parks app to show boaters where all the zones and protected areas are as well as an injured and stranded wildlife interactive reporting app called QWildlife. All in all, an interesting evening with lots of questions and answers from the attendant group of members.