Road kill monitoring

Bob McMahon TAP MR

We will request the Federal Department of the Environment to compare our report with Gunns’ version to make sure that monitoring has been done properly by the pulp mill proponent. One of the ‘hot-spots’ reported by TAP is the Birralee Rd from Frankford Highway to Westbury, likely to be the preferred route for cement trucks from Railton. Four Tasmanian Devils have been reported killed on that road in the last four weeks.
THE CHIEF SCIENTIST’S report requires Gunns Ltd to engage in a three month monitoring of road kill on roads that construction traffic will use to construct the pulp mill at Longreach.

TAP recognizes this as a very important condition as construction traffic is likely to be 24/7 and most road kill occurs at night.

Our members have been asked to keep an eye out but they report that there has been very little sign of Gunns doing this monitoring. Of course, this does not mean that monitoring has not been done – it might have been conducted during the night or at dawn.

Consequently TAP has been monitoring sections of road on a daily basis. We have dated photographic evidence of the road kill and the locations. Our 3 month report will shortly be completed.

We will request the Federal Department of the Environment to compare our report with Gunns’ version to make sure that monitoring has been done properly by the pulp mill proponent.

One of the ‘hot-spots’ reported by TAP is the Birralee Rd from Frankford Highway to Westbury, likely to be the preferred route for cement trucks from Railton. Four Tasmanian Devils have been reported killed on that road in the last four weeks.

TAP will also carry out a complete monitoring programme of construction and operation of the mill in the event of the mill going ahead. Suitably qualified operators will use equipment, such as noise monitoring and atmospheric sampling devices, purchased or hired by TAP.

Bob McMahon
TAP