Story and photography by Darryl Dickson

It has been great to see so many organizations working together over the last months to assist one of Australia's most threatened mammals, the endangered mahogany glider.

Photo courtesy of Darryl Dickson

Cyclone Yasi has brought together government and non government organizations, QPWS staff, Girringun rangers, Terrain, WTMA, landholders, volunteers and scientists, funding organizations and donors, WPSQ, RSPCA, FAME; so many people either offering funding or volunteer hours as part of a joint effort to assist and assess the condition of our rare gliders. Den box construction has taken place from Dreamworld to schools, Men's Shed workshops to back garden sheds throughout Qld; science programs have not only been funded but are already on the ground.

Under DERM/QPWS guidance, supplementary feeding stations are now in place and food sources are being fine tuned as more information becomes available about just what the gliders may need to help them through these difficult times. Cameras are watching for activity and den boxes are being placed in areas where gliders may have lost their homes in natural tree hollows.

Finally sightings have been made of healthy gliders north of Cardwell, giving scientist early signs of confirmation that the gliders are managing to adapt, as they had hoped, by focusing their diet on the available insects and saps. It is still hard to know just how well the gliders will fare through this breeding season and through the later, lean months of the year but scientists will be monitoring their progress.

QPWS reports that fire management planning is taking place to ensure that glider habitat is carefully managed during the coming fire season. Mahogany glider habitat will have an extremely high fuel load and planning for cool mosaic burns will be essential to ensure that further harm does not come to their recovering habitat, sparse food resources and remaining natural dens. DERM has made a strong commitment to ensure that staff, resources and funding will be available to meet this seasons exceptional fire needs and to manage the mahogany glider habitat during this long recovery phase.

Daryl Dickson 17/04/11