It’s toad busting time

THE Tweed Cane Toad Challenge returns for its fifth year of toad busting, aiming to reduce the pest populations in the shire.

The first Community Toad Bust will be held at Pottsville Environment Park on Friday, November 15, from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm.

The Tweed Shire Council runs a range of educational events and community initiatives as part of the effort. Council is partnering with Watergum Community Inc., a non-profit and registered charity that helps the community engage in on-the-ground work to restore, maintain and protect the natural environment.

This event will also be the induction for Watergum’s new citizen science project, which measures the impacts of toad busting on local toad populations.

Watergum staff will welcome residents with a brief educational talk, an overview, and an induction of the citizen science study. Participants will then be split into groups to work together to clear the park of as many cane toads as possible.

Cane toads in the Tweed damage native wildlife, poison domestic pets, and harm local agricultural industries and residential garden ecosystems.

Participants are asked to bring a toad-busting kit, which includes a bucket with a lid, rubber or garden gloves, a torch, and a pick-up stick if needed.

Watergum will have extra gear on hand if needed, and prizes are on offer for the teams that collect the most toads on the night.

Like-minded community members will learn new toad-busting skills and make a collective difference to the local environment.

A fun activity for the whole family, closed shoes and appropriate clothing for being outdoors at night are required.

Spaces are limited and community members can register for the free two-hour event at tweed.nsw.gov.au/cane-toads