The Lake Muir / Denbarker Community
Feral Pig Eradication Group

The Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee and Greenskills
Feral Pig Awareness Workshop

The Feral and Native Fauna Management Partnership Project was begun in April 2006 and completed in September 2006.

Participants in the project were - Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee, Green Skills, WA Department of Agriculture and Food, Department of Environment and Conservation (previously CALM), and the community based Feral Pig Eradication Committee.

Major financial support for the project was given by Lotterywest. Other supporters of the project included, SCRIPT (South Coast Regional Initiatives Planning Team), the Shire of Denmark, Shire of Plantagenet, and Shire of Cranbrook.

The projects aim was to run two community based workshops and increase local community awareness of feral and native fauna management and to encourage feral animal sightings to be reported to the WICC Natural Resource Management Coordinator, 9851-2697 or fax 9851-2709.

The first workshop was held in Forest Hill on the 7th of June 2006 and the second workshop was held in Denmark on the 2nd of September 2006.

Both workshops were well attended with an average of 30 people attending. Attendees were from a cross section of the community including farmers, sporting shooters, industry representatives from forestry, agriculture and waters, as well as local community members from urban and semi rural locations. Attendee's feedback was positive with suggestions to continue tri-annual follow-up education campaigns. Attendees also welcomed the variety of speakers who gave differing perspectives on feral animal problems on rural properties and within nature reserves.

Community understanding of the problems associated with feral animals in the region was increased with a renewed interest in reporting feral animal sightings. As of mid September 2006 20 sightings forms were returned with verbal sightings also forwarded to various project partners.

Media coverage of the two workshops covered local newspapers and radio, feral animal sightings forms were delivered to landholders by Australia Post, and fliers were developed, produced and distributed through community bulletin boards in the region as well via email networks of all partners involved.

Melinda Lyons was the project officer for the project working closely with other organizations and agencies, and was able to support other work of the Feral Pig Eradication Committee. One resulting project from the project is that the Feral Pig Eradication Committee has contracted Melinda Lyons to develop a Feral Pig eradication manual, which will be a useful publication to support landholder involvement in controlling this species.