62 Lake Macdonald Dr provides rare mature habitat in the Cooroy urban footprint

Wildlife

The open grassland and woodland is of immense value for several reasons

62 Lake Macdonald Drive sits between Cooroy Cemetery and the Dianella Court - Viola Place precinct.

The site comprises a sloping mix of open grassland, a mature Gympie messmate stand, a mature plantation Teide pine forest, a mature Bunya pine and some mature acacia. The trees were planted between 1972 and 1978 and now represent a mature woodland of high value in the Cooroy urban footprint. This is due to:

1) rarity - Cooroy has grown rapidly in recent years and much of the town greenscape is immature or not densely wooded. This stand is mature and dense;

2) mature forest contains the complete range of local habitat values provided by healthy through to dead trees, and can support a broad range of local flora and fauna, which it does. See point 5);

3) it provides valuable visual amenity from multiple locations across the locality of Cooroy, which is highly valued by locals;

4) it retards stormwater runoff on a site of approx. 40,000m2, uphill of an area that already floods in heavy or persistent rain. We don't even want to think about flooding after site clearing;

5) deforestation of approx. 15,000m2 of woodland and clearing of another approx. 12,000m2 of grassland for development would dislocate our beloved local kangaroos, echidnas, bandicoots, various reptiles, and various birds of prey from frogmouths to raptor groups.

the Cooroy Noosa Rd just east of nearby Swift drive is one of two areas in the shire provided with 'Caution: koalas crossing ' signs in mating season. Koalas are known to migrate through the woodland at 62 Lake Macdonald Dr and have been heard at night at mating time. Red tailed black cockatoos frequent the area, as do more common yellow tailed black cockatoos.

the Gympie Messmates are very likely to house feathertail gliders, also known as pygmy gliding possums, and microbats. The gliders are the smallest gliding mammal in the world and like the bats, they do not survive deforestation. When stressed, the gliders freeze and fall to the ground dead in their homes.

6) wildlife corridors: In the absence of credible wildlife refuges and corridors in developed areas, whole populations can become isolated, leaving populations vulnerable to complete loss in the event of fire or flood.

7) the forested site contains and caps the old Cooroy town mixed waste landfill and contains asbestos, arsenic, and other contaminants. Deforestation and excavating this waste would liberate toxic dust presenting an unavoidable short and long term health risk to locals.

8) For over 18 months we've had several sightings of turtles in drains, waterways and footpaths near the intersection of Dianella Court and Wilgee Court. We are currently attempting to have these identified from photos, as it is known that the more common Saw Shelled Turtle looks very similar to the critically endangered White Throated Snapping Turtle when juvenile. Council still don’t have a Fauna study for 62 Lake MacDonald Drive and we still call for this important report.

If 62 Lake Macdonald Dr is left undeveloped and remains for cemetery expansion, there would be a future need for vegetation clearing. However, this could be undertaken at a modest rate without threat of broadscale habitat destruction and would permit incremental re-homing of affected animals. Also, only some of the woodland may need to be removed. It's the best fit.