Join us in St Mary State Forest for our next Bioblitz!
https://www.queenslandconservation.org.au/bioblitz_st_mary

We would like you to join us at our next Forest Watch bioblitz in St Mary State Forest on Kabi Kabi / Gubbi Gubbi Country. Can you join us for a plant, animal and fungi survey to connect to the forest and highlight why it needs protecting?

We are going slightly further away from SEQ for this one, we are teaming up with Wide Bay Burnett Environment Council (WBBEC) to survey St Mary State Forest. This 17,000 ha native forest is situated in the Fraser Coast region south-west of Maryborough and lies within the Eastern Hardwoods forestry region.

I know it is a little further away then previous Bioblitz events, but I wanted to let you know in case you can make it.

When: Sunday October 22nd, 8:30am

Where: St Mary State Forest, Meeting in Memorial Park in the centre of Tiaro.

RSVP Here - https://www.queenslandconservation.org.au/bioblitz_st_mary

Native state forests in South East Qld are still really important, although logging is due to end at the end of 2024 there is no guarantee all the native state forests will be transferred to protected areas, meanwhile some areas are still being heavily logged.

We desperately need more people getting active for these state forests and one way to do that is more BioBlitz events but unfortunately as one person there is only so many I can organise. As someone who has already attended at least one of our bioblitz events would you be interested in organising a bioblitz or joining a group to work together? They can be of any scale, even just 5 people heading out in to a state forest is a big help. I can still help you out and provide all the recourses you need including a bioblitz organising guide. Let me know if you are interested and want to have a chat.

One of these state forests that still needs attention is Deongwar State Forest. 4700 hectares of native forest in Deongwar State Forest should be transferred to protected areas. This area includes endangered ecosystems, and habitat for Long-nosed Potoroo, Brush-tailed Rock-Wallaby, Koala, Powerful Owl and Greater Glider.

A little bit more info about the St Mary State Forest

St Mary State Forest lies within the Eastern Hardwoods forestry region. Despite an historic commitment to end logging under the South East Queensland Forest Agreement in 1999, there is no guarantee from the Palaszczuk Government that this will occur. In 2019 logging plans were extended from the planned 2024 end date to 2026, with no guarantee the forests will be protected and logging will end after 2026.

Very little is known about many forests of the Eastern Hardwoods region, with no threatened species records in more than 40 of the state forests. Your help documenting will make a real contribution to conservation efforts.

St Mary State Forest hosts eucalypt forest and a variety of other vegetation along creeks, ridges and low peaks of Mount Benarige and Mount Woocoo. The forest is habitat for a variety of threatened animal species including koala, greater glider, yellow bellied glider and glossy black cockatoo.

By joining our Forest Watch Bioblitz you can help highlight why St Mary State Forest needs protecting now, before any further logging.

This is a great opportunity to connect to the forest we are trying to protect, take active steps to help protect it while also learning and having a great time.

Yours for forest protection,

Hayley Troupe

Nature Organiser