SERN - Wetland Restoration Tour
A chance to see and hear about wetland restoration on private land. (Field trips to follow on from the Wetlands Symposium).
Saturday 24th March
Bus to leave Invercargill at 9.30am.
10.00am - Southern Wetland Trust - Big Lagoon. At Taramoa, west of Invercargill, Tony Reiger has restored this once large coastal lake almost back to it’s original size after having been virtually drained for decades. His interest in waterfowl and wildlife has lead to the formation of several other associated open water areas and he has seen an increase in numbers and species visiting the area. For those interested in hunting, he has one of the largest decoy collections in NZ. Lunch will be hosted here.
2.00pm - Manuka Mire Wetlands - Ron & Gay Munro have protected 64ha of peatbog on their sheepfarm at Mokotua, east of Invercargill. Using moats as the QEII covenanted wetland boundary has provided additional habitat for koura, eels and kokopu. View the several dams created, which have good numbers of waterfowl and a resident breeding population of the threatened giant kokopu. Along the Armstrong Creek, a tributary of the Waituna Creek, the main stream feeding the Waituna Lagoon, there has been riparian plantings undertaken under the Arawai Kakariki programme, as well as experimental work by an Otago University student on fish friendly drain management.
Return Invercargill approx. 5.00pm.
Cost per person $30, includes bus, light lunch and afternoon tea.
Sunday 25th March
Mini buses will leave Invercargill on the hour from 10.00am to noon.
Field trip to Brian and Chris Rance’s Southland Community Nursery and wetland restoration site. Also visit to Ian & Jenny Gamble’s where you can walk through an ecological sequence from Kahikatea forest to manuka shrubland to jointed rush on the estuary edge. The rush area has a resident population of fernbird and Ian has undertaken extensive pest control to ensure their wellbeing.
Buses will return visitors to the airport if required, or back to Invercargill by early afternoon.
Cost per person $10 for the bus ride and a light lunch will be available from noon to 1.00pm.
Registrations essential. Please email Gay Munro, [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
