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Turtle Month helps Loggerhead research

Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability
The Honourable Kate Jones
10/03/2010
TURTLE MONTH HELPS LOGGERHEAD RESEARCH

A research project to track endangered loggerhead turtles nesting at Mon Repos Conservation Park will get a boost this month from customers at McDonalds' restaurants in Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and Gympie.

Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones said the satellite tracking program was vital to understanding the movements of female turtles during the nesting season and the impact of city lights on their choice of beaches.

"We know the lights from residential and commercial buildings, particularly to the south of Mon Repos, disorient female turtles and their hatchlings trying to make their way to the Bundaberg coast's nesting beaches and back out to sea," Ms Jones said.

"But we need to know more and that's why support from the community and local businesses is so vital to our conservation and research efforts.

"I'd like to thank Mel and Craig Manley, who own the participating McDonalds restaurants, and their customers for helping the loggerhead turtles in this very practical way."

Ms Jones said throughout March the restaurants would be running a Turtle Month promotion, donating 50 cents from sales of certain menu items to help buy the state-of-the-art satellite tracking equipment.

"McDonalds' donation will help our scientists and rangers continue to map habitat use offshore and better understand the effects of surrounding artificial lights on migration patterns," she said.

"We'll also be using part of the donation to revegetate sections of the Mon Repos beach front which were badly eroded last month by cyclone Olga."

Ms Jones said these projects would be a welcome extension to the Government's own tracking program and the Cut the Glow campaign, which aims to reduce the glow from lights affecting nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings on beaches in the greater Bundaberg area.

Turtle Tours at Mon Repos Conservation Park will be operating until Sunday 28 March 2010. Currently the turtle season is at an exciting peak with hatchlings from a number of nests emerging each evening. To book your tour call Bundaberg Region on 07 4153 8888 or www.bookbundabergregion.com.au

Permanent Link: Turtle Month helps Loggerhead research
Publish Date: 10 Mar 10

Article Contact Details

Queensland Government, Office of Climate Change :
Brisbane

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