In mid December 2008 Jim and Ann Buck and a group of dedicated volunteers travelled
by boat to Lady Musgrave Island, to undertake their annual four week monitoring
of marine turtle nesting. These activities form part of the broader annual nesting population census undertaken
by QPWS’s ‘Queensland Turtle Conservation Project’. Jim and Ann have coordinated the Lady Musgrave Island Study since 1987.
Lady Musgrave is a coral cay located at the southern end of the Great Barrier
Reef approximately 63kms east of the Town of 1770, and forms part of the Capricorn
Bunker Group of islands. Green turtles are the predominant species nesting on the island, along with
a smaller population of Loggerhead turtles. The surrounding reef also supports ‘feeding ground’ populations of Green, Loggerhead
and Hawksbill turtles. On his return from the island, Jim indicated he was again pleased with the success
of this year’s monitoring activities, praising the dedication of the volunteers. "Without the strong support and assistance of my wife Ann and our team of volunteers,
this project would not exist in its current form", he said.
Many volunteers return each year, some travelling from as far a field as Victoria,
North Queensland and Western Australia to spend their annual leave working with
the project. "Our volunteers come from all 'walks-of-life', providing us with a very diverse
team composition, which is one of our strengths", Jim said. "Our research and monitoring activities encompass both night and day data collection;
hence our volunteers need to be dedicated to work in this challenging environment".
The volunteer group of between four and six people operate ‘on-site’ from an
under-canvas camp. The logistics of operating for a month in such a remote location need to be
planned well, and it is necessary to take everything with them, including water
and the ‘kitchen sink’!
In this season where large numbers of Green turtles nested, the team collected
a large amount of data to be compiled, checked and analysed over the next few
months, as Jim prepares to return to the island in February with a smaller team
of
volunteers to monitor and collect turtle hatchling data.
For those of you interested in finding out more about marine turtles, then you
may wish to consider attending the 29th Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation
being held in Brisbane, 17th to 19th February 2009. This is the first time that the Symposium has been held in Australia. Details are available at http://www.turtlesbrisbane2009.org/
BMRG has funding available to support attendance at the Symposium, simply click
here for an application form (insert link to form/BMRG website for professional
development -
(http://www.bmrg.org.au/information.php/2/104 )
As dawn rises after a nights work, research volunteers Mark and Cheryl collect
datafrom a nesting Loggerhead turtle on LadyMusgrave Island.Loggerhead turtles are classified as an endangered species
