Events

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.

(started 15 Jan ongoing through to mid March)

Grand Ivy-Clearance Day! (& FOTB open day)

Open Day - Saturday 1st March ‘25.
10am to 2pm Meet at playground off Queens Drive. All welcome!

Drop by for a free sausage and get to help bring Thomsons Bush come back to a beautiful native forest. Everyone visiting the event will be given a bag to fill with weed English Ivy (Hedera helix) . Bring your full bag back for a Free BBQ - courtesy of ICC! A chance to learn more about where the Friends of Thomsons Bush have been clearing this forest of weeds, more about all the different weeds, what working bees are like, when the next event is - and meet some of the great volunteers who have taken this massive project on!

World Wetlands Day

10 am - 1pm 1539 Edendale-Woodlands Hwy, Edendale 9893, New Zealand

Environment Southland is hosting a field day to celebrate World Wetlands Day on 23 February. World Wetlands Day (celebrated annually on 2 February) is an opportunity to remember the 1971 adoption of the International Convention on Wetlands in Ramsar, Iran.

Each year Environment Southland celebrates World Wetlands Day with an event, and this year ES are hosting this field day to help landowners understand how to improve habitat for Australasian bittern in their wetlands.New Zealand’s wetlands are home to several threatened birds and plants. Among the threatened wetland birds, matuku-hūrepo (the Australasian bittern) is a key indicator species for wetland ecosystem health: meaning that if we improve the habitat in the wetlands for these ‘umbrella’ species, it will help other less noticeable, smaller and potentially threatened species too. Details also on fb ES page World Wetland Day event

Come along and learn about wetlands and how you can restore wetland habitat from experts and other landowners. Please register here

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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Annual Chilean flame creeper Evening at Bowman Bush

Otatara Landcare Group and Jesse Bythell, our QEII Regional Rep will welcome all pullers of Chilean Flame Creeper to Bowman Bush on Monday 27 January 25.

Help us reduce this colourful weed from one of Otatara’s treasured reserves.

Where – Bowman Bush - meet at entrance off Spence Avenue

When - Monday 27 January 2025 – 6.30-8pm

What – hand pulling Chilean flame creeper

Suitable for all ages and fitnesses, bring gloves and wear gumboots or good shoes, a coat or warm clothing if necessary.

Chilean flame creeper, once grown in gardens for it's bright orange flowers, now a bird spread weed in our forests.