Events

Southland Community Nursery Native Plant Sale, Otatara

Check out the wide range of locally sourced native plants at the Southland Community Nursery, 185 Grant Road, Otatara. From 2.00 - 4.00pm. Come along between 2.00pm and 4.00pm to the Southland Community Nursery, 185 Grant Road, Otatara - all plants $4. All hardy species that will thrive in Southland’s weather! Feel free to come for a look around at our plantings, ponds and bush restoration areas. Proceeds from plant sales will go to the Community Nursery Trust for the new Education Centre - www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz

Weedbusters at Bowmans Bush, Otatara

The annual attack on Chilean flame creeper at Bowmans Bush is gradually reducing this pest plant. Come and help in this year’s effort from 7.00pm to 8.30pm. Bowmans Bush is Southland’s only Queen Elizabeth II National Trust property, with day to day management carried out by the Invercargill City Council. As with other reserves around Otatara, the forest remnant has been invaded by the garden escapee, Chilean flame creeper. There is no easy way to control this plant pest, however other landowners in the area have been successful with physical removal over the years. The Bowmans Bush autumn working bees have been going on for 8 years now and Randall Milne, Environment Southland Biosecurity Officer (Weeds) reports that the presence of this pest plant is much reduced. Come along and join us for this year’s effort, which will be from 7.00pm to 8.30pm. If you require any further information please contact Randall Milne at Environment Southland, [Enable JavaScript to view protected content].

World Wetlands Day Celebration - Waituna

The Waituna Landcare Group & Landcare Trust invite you to join them for a morning of workshops on Wetland Health, then for a guided walk around the Waituna Wetlands Loop Track in the afternoon. 10.00 am Meet at WLG Gravel Pit Restoration Project car park at corner of Waituna Lagoon Rd & Hanson Rd.

Morning tea & introduction
10.30 am WETMAK workshops.
1. Monitoring your Wetland. Why do it? Monitoring plan,calendar. Mapping your wetland. Photopoints, record changes over time.
2. Warrant of Fitness for your wetland. Threats of plant, animal, fire. Hydrology.
12.00 pm Head to Waituna Lagoon Lookout car park for BBQ lunch
1.00 pm Guided walk around Loop Track

Please register for workshops & bbq. These are limited to 30 people so be in quick. RSVP by Friday 15th February 2013. Contact Janet Gregory, email [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] or Ph 03 2087883 or Gay Munro, email [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] or Ph 03 2395 827

Forest & Bird January Field Trip to Eastern Southland

A visit to the Matauara Mataitai area, followed by lunch and a visit to the Gore Landfill Site restoration project. Mataura Mataitai area - Rewi Anglem, Hokonui Runanga, will update us on progress with this project, then on to their wetlands. Lunch at Gore Landfill Site Restoration project, followed by weeding/ maintenance with Don Lamont and other members. BRING tools and gloves.  10.15am meet at Mataitai area carpark (just north after crossing Mataura River Bridge in Mataura.)

SERN Spring Field Day 2012 - Restoration of Riverton Environs

Visit to Men of the Trees Pourakino restoration site, then Karyn Owen’s wetland property near Lake George for lunch. After visit to Colac Bay wetland and Takutai o te Titi Marae. Saturday 10th November the bus full of enthusiastic folk headed for Pourakino Reserve for an hour of broom control, assisting the Men of the Trees in their restoration project there. Broom was pulled or cut and pasted with picloram gel. The Men of the Trees have made great progress with getting the broom under control here, however getting the restoration plantings going is problematic in this exposed site that also has stock and pest animal (deer, rabbits) issues. Lynne Huggins, DOC Weed control expert, then gave a display of basal bark spraying, which has become a popular technique for control of woody species, in this instance elderberry. Lynne explained that they were seeing good results from this technique for the wilding pine control on Mid Dome.

The next stop for lunch was at Karyn Owen’s restoration project on the south west side of Lake George. After a delicious feed of cob oven baked pizza, we explored Karyn’s property. She has formed an excellent track system which has allowed a very good animal pest trapping programme to be established. Using several different styles of traps, she is seeing good results, commenting that in the evening she has a moorpork that follows her around the rat traps making the most of any catch available. The visit ended with the group having another session of broom pulling in the area outside Karyn’s hut.

We moved on to Colac Bay where Lynne Huggins spoke to us about the wetland restoration project there. Dealing with the old rubbish tip has made the task challenging, however the area has been landscaped and planted out in tussock, toe toe and hardy woody native species. A large part of the area is still in good natural condition with jointed rush (oi oi), Coprosma species and flax, however gorse is on ongoing problem, as is the rubbish that has been dropped into the open water areas.

The final stop was the Takutai o te Titi Marae, where the Oraka Aparima runaka have established a very good nursery. This site provides plants for both the wetland restoration area and also for the Rarotoka (Centre Island) project.

Many thanks to those whose projects we visited and enjoyed hearing about, also to Environment Southland for sponsoring the bus trip.