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The Ringtail Tally is now in its 7th year
Grab your friends and family and help Nature Conservation count Western ringtail possums in the area, by joining this year’s Ringtail Tally.
Whether you live on an urban block with a small garden; adjacent to an area of bushland or have a large rural property, you can contribute to Western ringtail possum conservation by counting the the possums you see. The Tally starts on Saturday 9th April and we ask participants to count ringtails on at least one occasion over 4 weeks, completing the Tally by Sunday 8th May. A guide to Western ringtail possum spotlighting can be downloaded below. Western ringtail possums are critically endangered so every survey counts.
The results are shared with the wider community and recorded on the WA Threatened Species Database. The information gained from the Tally is building a reliable set of observation data that will improve our knowledge about where Western Ringtail Possums are found and in what numbers. This information is then used as a reference for population trends, future planning decisions and conservation projects. The data becomes more valuable each year the Tally is repeated.
The Tally has expanded beyond the original Geographe Bay Catchment area. Nature Conservation Margaret River, Leschenault Catchment Council and Wirambi Landcare now run the project with their local communities, making it a truly regional event and an opportunity to be involved in something bigger. Find out about other tally events occurring in the range of the ringtail and about how the tally started here https://www.geocatch.asn.au/living-with-possums/possum-tally/
Signing up to participate in the Tally is easy. Just register for the tally below and choose a site which is easy to access. It may be your own garden, local park or patch of bush near where you live. You must count in the same location for the whole of the Tally period and we ask that you record ringtails within a defined area. More info is contained in the factsheet below.
This year we are also trialling an online form. This will allow sightings to be added directly to the Ringtail Tally database from your phone or laptop and a live regional dashboard will highlight how each region is doing. The online form is accessed via the phone app Survey123 app (or check your App store) and use Survey123 website for computers and laptops. The instructions for how to set up and access the Ringtail Tally on both options are here and can also be accessed below.
The SWCC website has more information about the online option, including an instruction video.
The standard pdf data recording sheet can still be used (download below) or you can request a word version by contacting Lyndsey (details below).
We are inviting everyone who registers for the tally to collect a ‘Pets Away, Possums Play’ bin sticker from the Nature Conservation office.
If you need further information on how to complete the tally please contact Lyndsey Cox on 97572202 or [email protected].
This project is delivered by Nature Conservation Margaret River Region, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, in partnership with South West Catchments Council, and Shire of Augusta Margaret River through the Environmental Management Fund.
Register for the 2022 Ringtail Tally
