More than 70 landholders have signed up to this year's Broken Boosey Conservation Management Networks co-ordinated fox control program due to start in the Nathalia/Picola area on Monday, March 3.

Parks Victoria will also help to reduce fox numbers in the area by baiting public land in the Broken Boosey State Park again this year.

Other areas to be baited include Thoona, Devenish, St James, Wunghnu and Numurkah.

The aim of the fox control program is to decrease the population of foxes in these areas to improve survival rates of threatened species such as the bush stone-curlew, carpet python and the brolga.

The networks provide funding through the DSE for landholders to complete all necessary training and also pay for the 1080 baits used during the program.

In previous years spotlight surveys prior to and following baiting have suggested a 25 to 30 per cent reduction in the fox population in baited areas immediately following the program.

This year the effectiveness of the fox control program will be measured by Charles Sturt University PhD student Andrew Carter, who is studying the behaviour of foxes in the Broken Boosey CMN area as part of his research.

Mr Carter will track a number of foxes before, during and after the baiting program.

This will enable him to examine the impact the program has on the fox population during baiting, and also how quickly foxes move back into these areas once the program has finished.

These results will help in deciding the most effective way to bait foxes next year.

If you are interested in participating in the fox control program phone Jim Castles on 5820 1141 or 0427 053 700.