The meeting is part of the NSW Government’s community engagement to assist in developing a NSW Koala Strategy.

The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) is looking for feedback on what should be included in a whole-of-government NSW koala strategy to stabilise and increase koala numbers.

Angela Baker of North West Local Land Services (NW LLS) and Gunnedah Urban Landcare Group (GULG), will be attending the meeting to provide input.

“The biggest thing is that this meeting is the only meeting that OEH are holding which is west of the Great Dividing Range,” she said.

“We really need to let OEH know what the issues are for our inland koalas because there are no other opportunities to do so.”

GULG held a meeting in January to discuss the Gunnedah Koala Conservation Plan for Landcare and Community Groups following a report presented by Kootingal ecologist Phil Spark in November. As part of Project Koala, NW LLS contracted Mr Spark to put a Koala Action Plan together to map out a blueprint for the best way forward to save Gunnedah’s koalas.

Ms Baker said a sub-committee had been formed but details were still to be finalised.

“[Gunnedah Shire] Council are supporting it and from here on in we will be looking at what projects we can implement around Gunnedah and in town and out of town,” she said.

A project currently under way is the ongoing installation of Blinky Drinkers – water drinkers placed on trees to give koalas access to water. They were designed by local farmer Robert Frend who trialled them to great success and are being manufactured under the OEH’s Saving Our Species program. 

“The heatwave conditions are really detrimental to koalas and if people have seen any [koalas] that are in heat distress, they probably do need to contact WIRES. And heat stress is [a koala] on the ground, basically,” Ms Baker said.

Gunnedah resident Vaughan Honeysett found a heat-stressed koala on Monday morning at the Wandobah Road archery range used by Namoi Valley Archers. Mr Honeysett was cleaning up the range ahead of a club shoot this weekend.

“I was walking around the range and he was just at the bottom of a pine tree. He didn’t move or anything like that so I went and tried to give him some water,” he said.

“I had a bottle of water and he wouldn’t drink that and I went and got a bucket of water and I think he drunk two buckets of water. He was very thirsty.

“I got water about three times for him and the last time there he was chasing the bucket round. He was quite active.”

To express interest in attending the community engagement meeting on Thursday, visit https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/nsw-koala-strategy-community-information-session-tickets-29426736160​