Council Connections - 18 May 2022

Mosquito Management, Noise Alert Training, Coastal Reserves Wrap Up and Business Basics Grants Now Open

Mosquito Management

The recent wet weather and unseasonal high rainfall has contributed to an increase in mosquito numbers throughout the district.

To combat nuisance mosquitoes and limit the spread of mosquito-borne viruses, Council conducts a systematic mosquito control program on Council land and some areas of unallocated State land.

Council uses best practice chemical control methods that have been developed and approved specifically for mosquito control activities.

This generally provides effective control whilst still protecting public health and our natural environment.

These control methods specifically target mosquito larvae in ponded water bodies and retard the larvae from maturing into adult mosquitoes.

Through Council’s control program, fresh and saltwater sources are treated, including underground drainage infrastructure in built up areas.

Contrary to some opinion, Council does not conduct ‘knock down’ aerial fogging of adult mosquitoes within the Shire as this method of control is relatively ineffective and poses serious risks to the environment, people and their pets.

Although Council is already doing what it can to reduce mosquito populations in urban areas, residents are reminded that under the Public Health Regulation, householders have a responsibility to prevent mosquitoes from breeding on their property. Simply cleaning up items that hold water or emptying out containers and disposing of palm fronds in and around your house significantly reduces the opportunity for mosquitoes to breed.

Further, it prevents the risk of spreading mosquito borne diseases such as Dengue Fever and various viruses that can affect people’s health.

There are many options for people wanting to protect themselves against mosquitoes, including wearing long, light-coloured clothing, insect repellent, as well as knockdown and residual insecticides that are readily available from suppliers.

Low-cost mosquito larvicide pellets (NOMOZ®) are available to purchase for $10 from Council’s Main Office located at 25 Lannercost Street Ingham.

Similar to the commercial products Council employs, NOMOZ® Pellets prevent mosquito larvae from developing into adult mosquitoes for up to six months and can be used in small natural and artificial water bodies around your property.

For further information, please contact Council’s Biosecurity Team on 4776 4740.

Noise Alert Training Notice - Australian Defence Force

Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel will conduct training in Ingham, Charters Towers and Tully from mid to late May 2022.

The public should expect to see and hear military helicopters as well as vehicles and military personnel carrying weapons. Blank ammunition and pyrotechnics will be used for some aspects of the training.

Army helicopters will also conduct flying operations primarily during the day with some instances of night time flying.

The flying activities will be supported from Charters Towers Airport.

The community should not be concerned during these training activities.

The ADF thanks the public for their patience and cooperation while this essential training is being conducted.

Coastal Reserves Wrap Up

Council sincerely thanks those people who participated in the Coastal Reserves Community Consultation  Sessions for Taylors Beach and Forrest Beach on Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 April 2022. Both evening workshops were well attended with approximately 40 people at each session.

Participants were presented with a variety of information which provided a foundational understanding of how these special areas came to be, and from there, the community was encouraged to add to the knowledge of each area by sharing their experiences. By the end of both evenings, many of the issues, challenges and potential opportunities to enhance the condition, resilience and liveability of these coastal locations had been discussed.

It should be noted that this is not the end of the process. Council will now consolidate the new information that was collected throughout the series of workshops (including Lucinda, September 2021) and develop and assess a number of potential options to deliver on Council's and the community's aspirations for these unique locations.

For community members still interested in getting involved, Council has a dedicated webpage, established to provide an opportunity for all interested stakeholders to engage, consult and participate with us through the project. Council intends for the outcomes of this information synthesis, feedback and options analysis to be presented back to the community in a second round of workshops envisaged to take place in June and July 2022. Watch this space.

For further information, please visit Council's website, Public Consultation page.

Ingham Art Action Botanical Exhibition Opening Event Wrap Up

The opening event for Ingham Art Action Members Exhibition entitled 'Botanical' was a success and a very nice night was had by all present.

Ingham Art Action is the local art group who together create a variety of work across a range of mediums including painting, mixed media, works on and with paper, photography, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and basketry.

This year the Exhibition focused on reworking themes around botanical art. The Exhibition event attracted a crowd of 63 art lovers, with 10 pieces of art sold on the night. 

New Opening Dates Announced for Business Basics Grants - Round 3

The technical issues experienced with the Business Basics grants application portal on Wednesday 4 May 2022 have been resolved.

The portal has been extensively tested and is safe and stable.  With the portal ready to go, Round 3 of the Business Basics grants opened for applications for Regional Queensland funding stream on Monday 16 May 2022.

For further information or to apply visit https://bit.ly/3yyEXMQ.

School Holiday Library Workshops

School holiday workshops located at the Hinchinbrook Shire Library will kick off on Tuesday 28 June and Wednesday 29 June 2022.

Workshops consist of:

• Business Camp where students will develop entrepreneurial skills;
• Engineering Camp where students will explore concepts such as robotics and coding;
• Space Camp to learn about the mysteries of outer space; and
• Creativity Camp where students will let their creativity flair through activities such as stop animation, public speaking and the use of colour psychology.

Hurry, spaces are limited to 25 per workshop.

For further information or to RSVP, please visit Council's website, Events Calendar page.

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COUNCIL CONNECTIONS - 18 MAY 2022