Events

Fiordland Marine Guardians - public meeting

The Fiordland Marine Guadians are holding a public meeting to discuss the future of the Fiordland Marine Area:

‘We invite you to join us to share your thoughts, observations, values and concerns about this precious part of the world. Through a mix of a panel Q&A session and more casual mingling, we hope you’ll learn a bit more about the work we do in the area, and in turn we’ll learn from you. Your input will help us to direct our efforts in the future.

We’d appreciate your views on some matters that we’ve been grappling with lately:

• Growth in tourism / visitor numbers
• Pest Pathways Plan / invasive species
• Whether there is a place for aquaculture in Fiordland
• How to engage more effectively with the community’

Please join us in a discussion about the future of the Fiordland Marine Area

Thursday 23rd February, 5pm – 7pm

SHOP5 Function Centre - Rocks Café

101 Dee Street, Courtville Place, Invercargill

For more information see:

http://www.fmg.org.nz/content/community-evening-fmg

Forest and Bird - Appleby's Peatbog and Wetlands

Southland Forest & Bird: Applebys’ Peatbog & Wetlands Drummond.

Finalists in the 2015 Ballance Farm Environment Awards, the Applebys have been proactive in the environmental stewardship of their land. Hear about the good things happening on their dairy farm.

Leader: Gay Munro 239 5827

We will leave Invercargill Museum at 9.30am or you can go straight to Graeme Appleby’s – 275 Boundary Road, near Drummond for 10am. Graeme says come to the gate to the sheds next door to our house entrance, don’t park on road.

Graeme’s plan for the day is as follows:

“We would walk to the QE block first, then to the wetland area and the shelter plantings on the way back to our house, about 3 hours in total. The peat bog is quite easy to walk through.

Plan to have lunch back at the house where we will make hot drinks available, plenty of space if weather isn’t playing fair. I am happy to discuss our farming practice”.

Are you wild about trees?

Twenty-two people spent their day sweeping across, down and up slopes seeking out wilding trees on Jeff Keens’ property in the Tomagalak catchment. The group was a good mix of people experienced with controlling wilding trees, and a number who came along for the first time to learn about the issue. These work days are important to help keep on top of regenerating wilding trees, and to see first-hand what the wiliding tree problem is about. Jeff Keen is a great example of someone who actively manages wilding trees on his property and welcomes groups of people to help keep on top of them. The total area covered by the group was almost 11.5 hectares – an excellent effort for the day.

Thanks to everyone that came along and to Jeff and Lindsay Keen for hosting the wilding tree work day on their property.

SERN 2016 Spring Field Day

The sun shone on SERN’s field trip this weekend when nearly 30 people attended the trip to Long White Lagoon and Omaui.

Long White Lagoon is near the mouth of the Waimatuku River. It is in two parts, with the original eastern freshwater wetland having some Coprosma shrubland to the north and southwest. Fish and Game started restoration work in the 1980’s by blocking off drains to raise the water level on the western side to produce a series of ephemeral freshwater lakes which increased the habitat for water fowl. The shallow nature of the lakes makes them ideal for wading birds as well and they provide habitat for rare native herbs. The wetlands, protected by a QEII Open Space Covenant, were sold in the mid 1990’s to Peter McLeish.

Peter has been looking after the lagoon ever since he bought it and has carried out extensive planting on the western area and weed control. He has also fenced off the open water areas from stock, with a good margin of dryland where he has formed a vehicle/walkway access. Peter gets a lot of enjoyment out of the site and is keen to share this with others so visitors are welcome.

SERN enjoyed a walk around the northern edge of the lagoon to the Roger Sutton Lookout and contributed to the restoration of the site by planting some cabbage trees donated by the Waituna Landcare Group.

The second part of the day was a trip out to Omaui, where the Omaui Landcare Charitable Trust has been working to restore the native forest. Their work has focused on animal pest control and improving access with the development of a walking track. The pest numbers have significantly reduced since pest control began and although it is still early days Kakariki have moved in. The trust is now investigating the use of self re-setting traps so they can reduce their reliance on toxin based pest control.

At Omaui the field trip split into a long walk and a short walk. The long walk headed up the new track to the reserve boundary where the trust are hoping to install a viewing platform. This site has beautiful views out to Stewart Island and along the coast, but there is also views of the Omaui sand dunes which are home to Gunnera hamiltonii a nationally critical plant and Asaphodes frivola a rare and unusual moth species with flightless females.

Sharing ideas and experiences are one of the benefits of attending a field trip and this trip was full of discussion and the sharing of knowledge. In particular the first site visit and subsequent discussions has inspired Debbie Ellis at SIT to investigate the impact of mammalian pests on wetland environments. She hopes to use Long White Lagoon as a case study.

Both sites are great examples of what can be achieved by individuals and groups who take the initiative and work hard to protect their local environment.

Thanks to everyone who helped organise the trip.

Photos provided by Richard Bowman and Pat Hoffmann

Forest & Bird/KCC trip to Home Creek

The next Forest and Bird trip will be the annual visit to Home Creek, Manapouri (check this out under the SERN Project Directory). Meet at 11am at Home Creek car park and help with this great restoration project. Picnic lunch, followed in the afternoon by a Kiwi Conservation Club (KCC - the junior Forest & Bird) activity - flax boat racing. Leaders Edith Jones 03 2131571 or 03 2496991 and for KCC John Carter (03 2494315 or 02108650535), Bronwyn Graham 03 2130017.