Events

Bushy Point Living Legends 2013 Plantings

The Southland planting for 2013 will take place at Bushy Point near Otatara on Saturday 24th August. We’ve got 3,500 trees to plant in a couple of hours, with a 9am kick off. Our Rugby Legends joined thousands of Kiwis to plant almost 130,000 native trees throughout New Zealand at our “Great Living Legends Muck Ins” during the Rugby World Cup tour in 2011, and again in 2012. We’re returning this year to get the final 40,000 trees in the ground so come and join us!

Forest & Bird Southland - Te Rere Planting Day

Annual planting expedition to Te Rere on the South Catlins coast, a long standing F&B restoration project enahancing this yellow eyed penguin nesting area. Please contact Brian Rance - [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] -  if you are interested in joining this day. Free transport by minivan is available. There is a second planting day Saturday, 17th August, if you are unable to make this date.

SIT Biodiversity Expo

To be held in SIT’s Hansen Hall from 8.30am to 2.30pm. Free admission, along with cups of tea or coffee. Food available at a reasonable cost. Come along to SIT’s Hansen Hall to this expo where there will be a range of talks on what is biodiveristy and how you can protect or encourage it a your place. There will also be a number of displays set up by individuals and groups who are out there doing this.

Forest & Bird Te Anau Field Trip

Trip to Manapouri for working bee in morning at Home Creek wetland, lunch talk at Rainbow Reach by Ray Willet on the Kepler Project and afternoon activity depending on weather. The annual Forest & Bird trip to Home Creek has seen the area planted out with predominantly red tussock, flax and carex, along with toe toe and cabbage trees. This meandering stream wetland has developed into a picturesque habitat from a barren dry pastureland. Plantings are ongoing, led by Manapouri local, Edith Jones, who initiated the restoration project. (Check this Home Creek project out under SERN Projects.)

Moving to Rainbow Reach at about 1.00pm, we will have a lunch stop and hear from Ray Willett about the Kids Restore the Kepler project. This conservation effort is engaging the Fiordland College students in a trapping programme with the goal of bringing back the birds around the Kepler mountain. Find out how their progress is going.

Following this, as long as the weather is right, we will proceed to the Wilderness Reserve to undertake weed control, attacking heather and broom.

If you would like to join us for the day then either meet at Southland Museum for car pooling - leave at 9.30am or meet at 11.00am at Home Creek car park.

Leader - Edith Jones, ph 213 1571 or contact Chris Rance 213 1161.

Home Creek Restoration Project

The annual visit by Southland Forest & Bird to help with restoration plantings at Home Creek, near Manapouri. The Home Creek restoration plantings have been ongoing for nearly a decade. With the meandering stream running through the area, it has proven to be a challenging project. Edith Jones, who leads the project, has found that floods and droughts both determine how you develop a restoration plan. However her trial and error technique is now bearing fruit as those plantings that have survived are becoming well established. The last few years have focussed on planting red tussock, toe toe and flax, all good wetland species.

If you would like to help with this year’s working bee, then join us at Home Creek (on the highway south from Manapouri, turn in by camping ground) at 11.00am. For further information contact Edith Jones, 213 1571.