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Aerial shooting operations are proposed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), near Nowra restricted airspace, from 5 - 10 March 2023.
In order to control feral animal populations, aerial shooting operations are often conducted by NPWS (Park Air) in a Squirrel B3 helicopter. The crew consists of a Pilot, Navigator, Shooter and an on-ground Officer-in-Charge maintaining Flight Following for search and rescue purposes.
The aerial shooting operations should be conducted within NPWS land tenure only, near Nowra restricted air space, performing low flying operations that target pest animals only.
HMAS Albatross, Nowra and other airspace users may be potentially impacted by the upcoming aerial shoot on NPWS parks and reserves from 5 - 10 March 2023.
This consultation is to seek feedback from other airspace users on planned aerial shooting operations for feral animal control by the New South Wales (NSW) NPWS, South Coast Branch.
The proposed aerial shooting operations will take place in parks and reserves near Nowra restricted airspace from 5 - 10 March 2023.
The next round of Post-Fire Aerial Shooting will be within the Shoalhaven and Illawarra Highlands section of South Coast Branch National Parks Area of Operations. In order to reduce the potential impact on other stakeholders, the aircraft will only operate during daylight hours and below 3500 feet. This operation is part of a long-term pest animal control program that has been taking place since 1984 using highly trained shooters that are part of the Feral Animal Aerial Shooting Team (FAAST) staff.
There are no expectations to fly within the Nowra HMAS Albatross restricted airspace as most of the pest animals being targeted are further to the west of Morton National Park and Bungonia State Conservation Area. Please see mapping attached below for further detail.
Generally, we will be aiming for peak pest animal activity. This will likely involve flying/shooting with early morning starts (05:00am local time) and from late afternoon until last light (18:30pm), with intermittent operations throughout the day.