Events

Friends of Kew Bush working bee

Meet at the picnic table at 10am. Contact [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] for more details.

Wear gumboots / big boots! Bring gloves, secateurs or lopper if you have them.

The aim of the day is to clear some of the fast invaders ready for a big planting day in the autumn. The map has the 3 key areas we’re targetting:

Blackberry removal (purple on map) - cut-and-paste (could be prickly!)

Aluminium plant removal (light blue on map) - A few stragglers survived our last working bee and need to be pulled (light work) See the photos of a piece of the cleared area from November’s event

Releasing the trees planted last autumn (red on map) - Trampling the grass around the planting here would be of great help (can be fun - bring some friends to help!)

Looking forward to seeing you!

Castledowns Wetland Working Bee, Dipton

Hi Wetlanders,

Happy New Year to you and may 2025 be a good year for you all

It has been a challenging season with rain and more rain and then an enormous surge in growth so we need to get back into the jungle and see what we can find re the tracks the plants, and the traps.

Volunteer day is Sunday, 26 January and we will be leaving Invercargill at 9am arriving at the Wetland at 10 . It would be great to have helpers. Please let me know if you are able to come.

Kind regards, Ann Irving, Phone 027 6569319

A Sanctuary of Biodiversity and Natural Beauty - Nestled in the serene landscapes of Southland, New Zealand, Castledowns Wetland Dipton is a hidden gem that offers a unique glimpse into the region’s rich biodiversity and natural beauty. This wetland serves as a vital ecological habitat, supporting a myriad of plant and animal species while providing numerous benefits to the environment and the local community. (Created by Ann using AI)

Bushy Point Tree Releasing Working Bee, Otatara

Working bee from 2 – 4pm to release plantings from September last year.

Various methods can be used to release the trees and suppress competing grass etc growth, as will be demonstrated at the time.
If you can help, please meet at the lookout seat, accessed from the Bryson Rd entrance to Bushy Point.
Kids can help too, finding and marking the seedlings hidden in the tall grass!

If possible, please bring:
Ø shoes or gumboots suitable for working in long grass
Ø gardening gloves
Ø clothing suitable for the expected weather conditions
Ø a face mask if you are allergic to dust or grass seeds
Ø safety (or other) glasses to protect eyes when weeding amid tall grass
Ø secateurs and/or a small pruning saw for working in bracken/lupins
Ø ideally, a pair of sharp garden shears suitable for cutting grass
Ø something to drink, especially in hot conditions.

Please contact Douglas Black on 022 104 8661 for more information.

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Wednesday evening Tree releasing at Bushy Point, Otatara: Summer/Autumn 2025

Wednesday evening Tree releasing at Bushy Point - Summer/Autumn 2025 Can you help?

EXCEPTIONAL grass growth this year is putting real pressure on many of the young trees (from Tree Planting Day September 2023)
which now urgently need releasing from encroaching grass if they are to survive and prosper. So Otatara Landcare Group is organising tree releasing sessions at
Bushy Point each Wednesday from 15 January, earlier than usual, through February, and possibly extending into March, from 6.30-7.30pm, weather permitting.

Various methods can be used to release the trees and suppress competing grass etc growth, as will be demonstrated at the time.
If you can help, please meet at the lookout seat, accessed from the Bryson Rd entrance to Bushy Point.
Kids can help too, finding and marking the seedlings hidden in the tall grass!

If possible, please bring:
Ø shoes or gumboots suitable for working in long grass
Ø gardening gloves
Ø clothing suitable for the expected weather conditions
Ø a face mask if you are allergic to dust or grass seeds
Ø safety (or other) glasses to protect eyes when weeding amid tall grass
Ø secateurs and/or a small pruning saw for working in bracken/lupins
Ø ideally, a pair of sharp garden shears suitable for cutting grass
Ø something to drink, especially in hot conditions.

Please contact Douglas Black on 022 104 8661 for more information or to find
out where we are working on the night.

Castledowns Rural Women Wetland Working Bee

Unfortunately we have not had as many volunteer days this spring in the wetland because of the rain. If you are able to come this Sunday and help weed, cut back, and plant we would love to see you.

We will also have signs to put in around the area, made by Alistair Jukes, Adrian Irving and Anne McDermott. Please bring your lunch, afternoon tea to share and join us for the day at the wetland at 900 Dipton Mossburn Road. I will be leaving at 9am from 100 George Street, arriving at the wetland at 10am. If you would like a ride please contact me.

If you are able to come please let me know - Ann Irving, phone 027 656 9319.

Hands on grow your own natives plants workshop & planting day Mabel Bush Hall

A really hand on and practical sessions on how to collect native seeds, sow out, look after them, and plant them out: 10.30am- 12.30pm Workshop and 1- 2.30pm Planting

We have two fantastic experts to teach us some new skills - Brad Gibson - Biodiversity Field Officer at AB Lime & Mid Oreti Catchment Group member & Sandra Campbell – Farmer, Otago South River Care Group Member & MPI On Farm Support. Brad runs the AB Lime on farm nursery, does their planting, biodiversity work and animal pest control, and supports the Mid Oreti Catchment Groups nursery sessions. Sandra has set up her own on farm nursery, is using drone technology to sow out native plant seeds on her farm, and using farm spray equipment and drone tech to tackle weeds, and has set up seed libraries around Otago.

See flyer for further details.

2024 Planting day at Kowhai Reach

When: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, 21 November 2024

Where: Kowhai Reach - access is via Chris and Charleen Withy’s farm (134 Bemore-Kauana Road). Access will be via the tanker access which is located https://goo.gl/maps/q28qYM4ACjAZnZTb8 (go past 134 Bemore-Kauana Road for 1.2 km). We will park near the dairy shed and then carpool to reduce the number of vehicles crossing the farm, please bring a 4x4 if you can as the paddock could still be a bit sticky this time of the year.

What: We have 300 trees to plant, so please tell all your friends, the more the merrier! You will need to bring your own spade, work gloves and wear practical clothing and sensible shoes for the weather and activity. Also bring personal gear you may need such as any medicine, water bottle, sunhat, snacks/packed lunch. Please do not bring dogs and if bringing any children they need to supervised at all times as we will be on a working farm with the usual hazards plus a planting along a steep-sided streambank.

Who: This event is open to anyone who is interested, please let your catchment group coordinator or myself know if you intend to come so we can get a basic idea of numbers for the day. Jesse Bythell (Southland QEII rep) 020 400 32109 [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]

Why: Kowhai Reach is a rare ecosystem protected for over 40 years by local farmers. Supplementary planting will give the forest a boost to ensure it has a long and healthy future. You can learn a bit more about the site here: https://www.sern.org.nz/project-directory/kowhai-reach-kauana/

The Great Matuku Muster!

The population of bittern is known to be less than 1000, placing matuku-hūrepo at threat of extinction in New Zealand, but the actual number isn’t known. Matuku-hurepo inhabit wetlands across Aotearoa and their presence can be an indicator of wetland health, as they only thrive in strong ecologically diverse areas with a rich food supply. The hope is that in Southland we all can help contribute to their survival by restoring wetlands, carrying out pest animal control and then find out how well it is going by monitoring their presence.

Wendy Ambury has created and led this The Great Aotearoa Matuku Muster as part of the Love Bittern project, calling on everyone to learn more about these amazing, if elusive birds and help by recording any sightings or their deep booming calls at dawn and dusk. ES are organising two events for you to find out more about this elusive bird. Both events are free - koha to the Love Bittern project. To help more, get a T-shirt! or go to the website for information and head to Otatara on 17 November.

Matuku-hūrepo Australasian bittern Presentation by Wendy Ambury
3-4pm, 17 November
Southland Community Nursery, 185 Grant Road, Otatara, Invercargill

Matuku-hūrepo Australasian bittern Guided Survey
8.10pm. 17 November
Bryson Road entrance, Bushy Point Reserve, Otatara, Invercargill

For more information email [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] or [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] or call 0800 76 88 45.