Would you want this bushland any closer to your home??

My family and neighbours are deeply concerned about the Coffs Coast Trust's decision to extend bushland closer to our homes. As residents, we know that this change threatens not only our property but also our safety.

These are our concerns:

1. FIRE RISK
   In the last fires, the Mayor said everyone north of Woolgoolga would get no fire protection, and we should go into Woopi. This firebreak might be the only thing that saves our homes.There hasn’t been a burn-off in at least 8 years, and no resources are put into fire management in this area. The really sad thing about this is that many of the people in these houses are volunteer firies. They know what the firebreak needs to be, and no one will listen to them.

The fences exacerbate the fire hazard.  

The plan includes access to fire grounds is already difficult enough without these ridiculous fences that are being erected.  The brigade would have to chainsaw and boltcut the fence to get close enough to fight fires. 

The distance of the bush from homes

Locals who are experienced volunteer firefighters of many years say that a 15 or 20 metres from the boundary of a property is not sufficient (some say insane).

In this case, the NPWS is bringing the bushland  15-20 meters of our homes.  Just imagine a strong wind and a fire approaching.  This change  has the potential to result in us losing our homes and possibly worse,  in this time of increasingly extreme fires. 

2. MANAGEMENT OF THE HABITAT

We believe that the trust has clearly failed in managing the existing bush areas effectively. and the residents affected are managing the bush by being landcare. It’s already a huge job to manage this area with no support from the trust. Why would they make it larger?

This bushland is full of non-native species already that we try and remove but its a never ending battle with no support or work done by the trust managing this change. The locals would like to ensure the native grasses are protected and the headland is returned to its natural habitat. This would be more like emerald headland. 

In this case, they are "revegetating," which means letting the bush grow to cover more area without actually improving the area's eco-heritage. 

Again the fencing is an issue

The planned fencing also mean that landcare members can't get into the bush. Some landcare groups are already experiencing this along Arrawarra Road. It makes no sense. 

3. SNAKES 
This bush is full of brown snakes. The break allows us to see snakes before they get near the house and get the kids inside. We dont want it closer to the houses. 

WHAT WE WANT
We, the locals, respectfully call on the Trust to reverse its decision to extend bush into residential zones and invest further into efficient management of the existing bush areas, to maintain the safe and harmonious balance between nature and built environment that we love about our town.

Please sign our petition and stand with us in ensuring the safety of our homes and families.

If you are in other areas or want other issues added to the reasons this shouldn't go ahead email me with a paragraph you'd like to add.  kylie.was.mcbride@gmail