MEDIA RELEASE

KIMBERLEY TOADBUSTERS FUNDING

21st APRIL 2006

The Kimberley Toad Busters are delighted to announce that they have reached a formal agreement with the fundraising body Biodiversity Protection WA Inc (BPWA).

In return for exclusive use of our name and logo for fundraising, BPWA have agreed to increase their support of our front line field work, which will help with our recurrent weekly fuel, food and other urgent costs of toadbusting and provide further desperately needed equipment.

The Kimberley Toad Busters are now supported by CALM, Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley, local businesses, Federal government and direct donations; as well as BPWA.

Recent meetings in Kununurra between the Kimberley Toad Busters and the members and employees of the Board of the Stop The Toad Foundation Inc based in Perth (and funded by the WA State government through a $500,000 grant) revealed that the STTF wish to set up an alternative and additional campaign to the volunteer campaign established by Kimberley Specialists in Research (KSIR) in 2004. Furthermore STTF wish to set up an alternative operational campaign to the volunteer front line field work operation to that already established and operating in the field at the front line since September 2005. The Kimberley Toad Buster volunteers wish STTF well in their alternative campaign to combat the common enemy, the cane toad.

Notwithstanding, our agreement with Biodiversity Protection WA Inc, donations can be made directly to the Kimberley Toad Busters and all donations will go to work at the front line, because we are all volunteers and we have no employees. The Kimberley Toad Busters have now repelled cane toad incursions ahead of the front line by hand catching and trapping, and destroying nearly 11,000 adult cane toads since September 2005. To keep WA and the Kimberley Free of cane toads, our 178 trained leaders (indigenous and non-indigenous, adults, children and teenagers)) and over 700 registered volunteers work at night 300kms from home on weekends, away from their day jobs, in the heat alongside biting insects and flies, feral animals such as the Buffalo and wild pig, and around water bodies that are home to saltwater crocodiles.

Please look at our results on www.canetoads.com.au or, email us at  kimberleyspecialists@westnet.com.au  and/or join us any time toadbusting at the Victoria River Roadhouse and surrounding areas.

For further information please contact:

Lee Scott-Virtue. Phone: 0891682576