We are a frog conservation group based in Cairns which has gone down a very different but very hands-on pathway for the past thirteen years: we have established a rescue and rehabilitation facility for frogs!  We are desperately seeking to purchase a property to support permanency, effectiveness and efficiency of our operation. 

Part of our forementioned activity has been to chase disease information for the cases which come in (and, no - chytrid fungus is NOT a problem on the tropical coast but everything else is). We have learned a lot about the bigger picture of frog decline.

The economy has not been our friend since 2007. Donations have barely kept pace with the group's expenses and we are already running as efficiently as possible. One of the areas which has sadly depleted our funding is having to relocate in the 'standard rental market' every few years. We desperately need to be in a permanent situation on small acreage where we can make improvements to the property, increase self-sufficiency, and shift the group's focus into breeding a healthy frog population for the future. In the current market, house prices are practically give-away - but we can't afford to buy a property ourselves.

We have identified a particular property that we very much want to relocate to. The area is called Julatten and it is 1-1/2 hours drive from Cairns.

It is 400m altitude and has a lot of original forest remaining as well as the famous Mt. Lewis (WHA). The western end of Julatten is also where the huge Brooklyn wildlife refuge is located and just beyond that are Mt.

Spurgeon and Mt. Windsor - two homes of some very special frogs including a re-discovered population of Litoria lorica (Armoured Mist frog).

There is a small two bedroom house which could snugly fit the live-in Curator (who pays rent) and the group's office. There are many photos of the property in its listing on the web. We believe it would make a splendid Land for Wildlife property at the least.

The neighbours we've spoken to report that the regular willdife seen locally is well represented in wallabies, brush turkeys, echidnas, huge bandicoots and especially a healthy population of amethystine pythons including individuals of FULL SIZE (we're talking 8 metres long!). Julatten is also famous for its exceptional representation of bird species. Sadly cassowaries have not been seen on this property for decades and the size of the amethystines might be an issue there. However, forest on this property is contiguous with a larger forest expanse that is all privately owned and is large enough to support cassowaries. Several properties in the immediate area are involved with revege programs and have formal signage visible from the road.

The property we are interested in has been on the market for a few years.

There are two ways our group can acquire this property:

1. Raise about $290,000 to buy the property ourselves (maybe $15K less if we can qualify for the first home buyer's grant and exemption from stamp duty) (We are a tax deductable organisation if that is helpful).
2. To find someone who prioritises environmental values over profits to buy the property to lease to us on a permanent basis (between the Curator and the group, we can pay up to $250 per week rent).

Either way, a permanent relationship with a block of land would allow our group to finally qualify for the sort of grants that would allow serious enhancement of the property for conservation and sustainability purposes.

We have many ideas about this property and can discuss them with anyone who is interested in supporting our efforts to acquire this particular special block.

Some links to pursue are:

* our needs for acreage page in our site: www.fdrproject.org.au/help/help_acreage.shtml

* the property listing on the internet: http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-julatten-107416501

If you would like to discuss our situation and find out more about how we would intend to modify this property for the benefit of frogs and other wildlife, please contact us soon. If you are ringing, the best times to reach us on our landline are at lunchtime and again after 6:30pm. You can also leave a message anytime for us to contact you (on your landline please! mobiles are an awful waste of our funds).

Thanks for your time and interest in preserving wildlife in the Wet Tropics!

Sincerely,

Deborah Pergolotti

Founding President, Frog Decline Reversal Project, Inc.

(Cairns Frog Hospital)

www.fdrproject.org.au

(07) 4045-0373