Protecting Country: Early Burns by gooniyandi rangers reduce wildfire risk

Each year wild fires threaten remote Gooniyandi communities, and the local rangers are tasked with identifying which areas near houses and infrastructure have large amounts of ground fuel, then controlled burns are done to reduce the fire risk.

This year the Gooniyandi Rangers started their schedule of ground burning after the wet season at the earliest time in mid-March, which ensured the burns were low intensity and easily controlled. Fires like this reduce the ground fuel while leaving shrubs and trees alive for use by native fauna.

With assistance from Kimberley Land Council Fire Officers and DBCA fire crew, the local Rangers so far this year have done protection burns around four communities near Fitzroy Crossing. Residents of the Gooniyandi community of Mimbi voiced their appreciation of the Ranger’s efforts, as they were aware of the risk from late dry-season fires lit accidently at the nearby Great Northern Highway. Such fires travel through the spinifex toward Mimbi community, which had many large, old spinifex bushes close to houses. These have now been burnt back from the houses and the Mimbi tourist campground.

Controlled burns have also been recently completed by the Rangers at Joy Spring and Yakanarra, and in Ngumpan as preparation for the weeklong AGMs of KLC, KALACC, KLRC, Aarnja and EYL there in August.