Every year
li-Anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers conduct a turtle camp at
Maabayny on West Island. In 2007 we camped there from 14 to
21 October together with Traditional Owners, Greg and Di Quayle and
Dr. Scott Whiting all of whom have been a great help in keeping
this annual event going.
Maabayny is a big
Yanyuwa place where Wundunyuka [sea turtles], in this case
mostly Wirndiwirndi [flatbacks] come to nest at this time of
year. The rangers do track counts on this beach all year round and
at this one time of the year, measure and tag the turtles, monitor
their numbers, collect DNA samples and measure the success of
hatchlings.
This year, most
of the turtles were mature and already tagged. All of them were
flatbacks. The Ranger Unit uses this data in combination with the
wide range of knowledge Traditional Owners hold, to build a more
complete picture of the health of turtle populations on Yanyuwa
country. This annual event also gives the Rangers and Yanyuwa kids
the opportunity to learn from the older people.
In 2007, one of
the topics of discussion revolved around the sustainable harvest of
turtle eggs. Traditional Owners explained to the Rangers how this
might be managed long into the future with minimal impact on turtle
populations in the region. Drawing on Indigenous and scientific
knowledge, a single nest, where the chances of hatchling success
were virtually nil due to a covering of bedrock over the nest site,
was identified and the eggs were taken. Working together in this
way everyone was able to enjoy a hearty meal in the full knowledge
that Wirndiwirndi would be back year after year and that
their children and their children’s children would be able to
look after them for a long time to come.
In 2008,
li-Anthawirriyarra hopes to make the annual turtle camp an
even bigger event. We are working with the school to have students
and our junior rangers present for at least a couple of days over
the two weeks and will be working together with many senior
Traditional Owners. We would also like to invite other ranger
groups to attend so if you are interested please contact
us.
Graham Friday
and Stephen Johnson
li-Anthawirriyarra Sea
Ranger Unit
c/- Mabunji Aboriginal Resource Association
PO
Box 435
BORROLOOLA NT 0854
Ph: 0427970834
Emails: graham.friday@mabunji.com.au
stephen.johnson@mabunji.com.au
