Fake Wagga island set to stay on as future negotiated

Wollundry Lagoon's Turtle Island has proven very popular with the Wagga community since it went on exhibition at the Wagga Art Gallery last September, but even though the initial exhibition period wrapped up on Wednesday, the island looks likely to remain.

Established as part of efforts to help re-wild the lagoon, artist Hayden Fowler is keen to make the exhibit a permanent feature.

"Since the beginning of the project there has been a conversation about the possibility of the island staying permanently," Mr Fowler said.

He said a key reason is that experimental interventions into the lagoon ecology such as Turtle Island, are long-term projects.

Over the past five months, the island has attracted a wide range of wildlife and a hidden camera has captured some incredible footage of turtles laying their young in nests on its shores.

But the story didn't end there, with the nests coming under heavy attack from ravens in the weeks that followed.

Mr Fowler believes the ravens succeeded in finding and eating some turtle eggs, but said further nesting took place over the Christmas period and remains optimistic some turtles have survived.

He said to help discourage ravens and protect the turtles, he also placed some branches over part of the island.

However, this resulted in unintended consequences, as it attracted native 'otters' more commonly known as Rakali or water rats.

Mr Fowler said they have burrowed a number of tunnels in the island and have also sought to find the turtle nests.

"They seem to have moved in there and there are now a lot of burrows," he said.

"Every time you take an intervention, it is incredible how things change.

"Putting those branches actually made a safe space for the Rakali."

Mr Fowler said if not for the branches, the native mammal would have been in a "lot more danger from owls at night when they are active."

The island has also attracted a number of other animals over the past several months, including a large variety of birds.

"Early on the wood ducks were using the island. We have then had herons, two species of cormorants and ravens," he said.

Mr Fowler said many birds have also been using the island as a "safe space to rear their young."

"Recently a heron family stayed there for about a week," he said.

Looking to the future, Mr Fowler said it's possible the island will remain where it is in the longer-term, however there is also the chance it could be relocated under the main street bridge to the next section of the lagoon or removed to another location.

"Keeping it in the lagoon is the ideal location," he said.

Mr Fowler said he hopes to meet with environmental groups, Mawang Gaway and community elders to discuss the island and whether it should become a community-based project down the track.