Events

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.

2024 SERN Spring Field Trip - Hear the vision and help make it happen

SERN Field Trip – Along the Mataura: Hear the vision and help it happen

9am depart Feldwick Gates Queens Park, return 5pm

10.00am: Visit O’Neill’s A QEII, near Fortrose for a walk around this wetland forest and the recent restoration area alongside it. Commentary from Environment Southland who are managing the long-term ecological restoration of the land in this floodplain near the coast. Hear about other active management of ES managed sites further up the catchment as the bus meanders alongside the Mataura River to Gore.

12.00pm: Lunch at Hamilton Park, Gore followed by some plant releasing at the Gore Native Forest Restoration site. Hear about the restoration of this former landfill site from Keith McRobie (Gore DC). Don and Margaret Lamont initiated this project about 20 years ago.

2.40pm: Pukerau Nursery and Red Tussock Scientific Reserve James & Maree Holloway specialise in supplying ecosourced plants for restoration projects in the south and discuss what this involves along with a tour of the nursery. On the return to Invercargill there is a chance to hear more about the conservation of the DOC Red Tussock Scientific Reserve from Brian Rance.

Please bring your own lunch and beverages. Toilet stops available (Edendale & Gore) All welcome! Bus: free but booking essential.

RSVP for queries, map of route and to book a seat to Gay Munro ([Enable JavaScript to view protected content])

Thank you to Environment Southland for generously funding the bus

Kowhai Reach Working Bee - Help Needed!

10:30 am - 2:30 pm at Kowhai Reach

Contact: Please let Kathy Turnbull ([Enable JavaScript to view protected content], 03 236 0772) know if you can attend and what equipment or resources you can bring.

Together, let’s get Kowhai Reach ready for a fantastic opening day! ????

Celebration Prep for New Picnic/Outdoor Classroom - Community Volunteers Welcome!

Limehills students will be lending a hand, but we need parents and community volunteers as well. The more helpers, the quicker and easier the job!

Join us as we prepare Kowhai Reach for its upcoming opening celebration on the 26th of November! We need your help to set up signs and structures, clear the area, and make it look its best.

What’s Needed:

• Equipment:
  • Tractor with a loader
  • Tractor with a post driver
  • Chainsaws for tree removal and cutting posts, fencing wood, and power poles
  • Trailers for transporting weeds and tree debris
• Tools:
  • Gardening gloves
  • Gardening spades, forks, and trowels
  • Secateurs

Matuku Muster!

This weekend have a listen out for the boom of our incredibly rare Australasian BitternMatuku-Hûrepo). Head out to a wetland (Waituna- in fact pretty much anywhere along the lower Mataura!, Waiau wetlands, Lake Brunton) about half an hour before dusk and listen for the deep low of a booming bittern. Ideally stay there till an hour after sunset. There are full details through the Love Bittern website link on the poster. Dawn surveys are good too - know where you are going however as you need to be there an hour before dawn and stay till hlaf an hour after sunsrise.

Make sure you take a torch to help find you way back safely and are not in an area which is too soft to stand on for long!

Next month (Sunday 17rh Nov, 3-4pm) there will be a talk by Wendy Ambury from Love Bittern Project at the Southland Environmental Education Centre in Otatara, with a dusk (8pm+) walk to the estuary off Bushy Point. Free, all welcome!