Activities have ramped up on the K’gari Bushfires – Butchulla Fire Management and Heritage Conservation Project (funded through the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants).
The Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation (BAC) in partnership with Everick Foundation has developed a Web Mapping portal and survey methodology to be completed on all pre- and post-burn walkthroughs and a BAC K’gari Fire Management Plan 2023.
BAC’s Fire Coordinator Darren Blake with crew members Tahlia Burns and Bob Broome and QPWS Ranger Anthony Dargusch (Photo: BAC) 
BAC’s RAM Ranger Tahlia Burns, joins QPWS Rangers Rachel Killer and Linda Behrendorff on the fire line (Photo QPWS) 
Crew Leaders undertake Incident Controller training (Photo: QPWS) 
BAC and QPWS staff undertake Chainsaw Level 1 training, adding to their fire management skills (Photo: BAC) 
Melita Baird records a scarred tree using the new webmap application to streamline data recording and reporting (Photo: BAC) 
A culturally modified (scarred) tree is protected with sislation with a rakehoed buffer. The fire is then set to burn away from rather than towards cultural heritage to provide better protection and control of the burn (Photo: BAC)
Fire training is progressing well with Shantel Ah Kit, Melita Baird, Tahlia Burns, Lillian Green, Bob Broome, Dwight Blackman, and Dustyn Currie, now trained to Level 1 Fire (Crew Member) and Edward Bonner and Conrad Barney completing Incident Controller (Crew Leader) training. Team members have also undertaken Chainsaw Level 1 and participated in QPWS training on fuel assessment with Fireground (NSW) during June.
With the QPWS planned burn season now underway (March to August) cultural heritage surveys have been undertaken of Oysterman’s Lease, Dipuying, Bogimbah (including the Mission site), Ungowa, Dilli East and Cornwall’s Break to Lake Wabby in preparation for planned burns.
BAC fire mitigation activities are also progressing well. Seven teams (eighteen K’gari Rangers) undertook fire preparation work on K’gari at Exploration Block East, Duck Creek, Cornwall’s Break to Lake Wabby, Deep Creek, Central Station, Bogimbah to Lake Boomanjin and Kingfisher to Dudonga. All participating crew members have learned how to apply sislation (insulation) to culturally modified trees and rakehoe areas to protect culturally significant sites.
The BAC assisted with both fire preparation and planned burns at Orchid Beach Airstrip (22 June 2022), Kingfisher Northwest Protection Block (27-28 February 2023), Dilli South Protection Block (20-22 March and 27-30 March 2023), on Boorangoora Northern Block (1 June and 19-21 June 2023), and Exploration East Block (20-22 June 2023). Darren Blake, the BAC’s Fire Coordinator also participated in helicopter aerial operations undertaking a burn scar survey on 22 June 2023.
Darren now attends the weekly K’gari Planned Burns meeting with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Coastal and Islands Region (Fire Enhancement Team) to provide Butchulla input to all planned burns on Butchulla Country. This marks a change to the previous arrangements and greater inclusion of the BAC (and Butchulla people) in fire management decision-making for K’gari. The BAC Fire Coordinator and Senior Ranger (Butchulla Land and Sea Rangers) also participated in the University of the Sunshine Coast’s K’gari Fire Workshop 20-22 April 2023 (held at Dilli Village) along with QPWS and QFES Rural Fire Crews, aiming to support consensus building on Fire Management on K’gari.
Article submitted by the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation
FINIA 