News • Southland Ecological Restoration Network

NZPCN Awards entries close soon

The prestigious New Zealand Plant Conservation Network Awards are now in their eleventh year. Nominations for the 2015 awards close next week on Monday 29th September. The purpose of these awards is to acknowledge outstanding contributions to native plant conservation. Award categories are Individual, School, Council, Community, Plant Nursery and Young Plant Conservationist of the Year (under 18 years at 30 June 2015). The nomination form is available from the Network website at http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/page.aspx?nzpcn_awards_Annual_awards

Posted on: Wednesday, 23 September 2015

Waihopai Playcentre Kids Explore Nature

The Southland Community Nursery is a busy place these days with lots of visitors enjoying the tracks through the bush and wetlands, the plant nursery facilities and the education centre. Recently the Waihopai Playcentre visited, with children and parents enjoying the sensory scavenger hunt looking for an assortment of coloured, textured, scented things along the track, exploring the “hide” and looking for insects, frogs and lizards. Back at the education centre they potted up seedlings and had morning tea. A fun experience learning about nature.

Posted on: Monday, 30 March 2015

Pingao Restoration at Waipapa Point

Forest and Bird Southland have been attempting to restore a population of the native sand binding grass, Pingao, beneath the Waipapa Point Lighthouse. The native pingao is an attractive golden colour, however naturally grows in moving sands, so the marram that dominates the site is not an ideal companion plant. Marram was introduced by early settlers to stop sand movement, and is still used for this purpose in places. Rabbits also have a preference for pingao, so protectors are required to stop nibbling. The local sealions also cause havoc with the plants at times as they lollop amongst the sandhills. However watch this space as further restoration work is undertaken.

Posted on: Sunday, 15 March 2015

Kaka in the Eglinton Valley

The Eglinton Valley is the longest ongoing intensive research site for an upland beech forest in New Zealand. It is home to an extensive ground pest control programme by DOC field workers, and other volunteers. Kaka in the valley have been studied for more than 15 years. Researchers study nesting success, adult and juvenile survival, as well as kaka movements and habitat use. Kaka do not breed every year, usually only laying eggs when there is plenty of food, such as during seasons when the beech trees flower. From ‘Behind the Scenes’, DOC Te Anau newsletter. http://www.doc.govt.nz/about-doc/news/newsletters/behind-the-scenes/spring-2014/

Posted on: Wednesday, 12 November 2014

Southland Forest & Bird's Te Rere Wins Award

At the recent Environment Southland Environment Award evening, Southland F&B’s Te Rere restoration project won first place in the Community Award section. Te Rere is one of Southland’s longest standing restoration projects, with extensive native plantings in to what was once open pasture land along the Catlins coast where the world’s rarest penguin, hoi ho (yellow eyed penguin) was known to nest. Over the last decade predator control has also been undertaken so that today not only yellow eyed penguin nest at Te Rere, but also good numbers of little blue penguin. The latest addition to the biodiversity here are titi (mutton bird), who are also known to have nested. Many hours of voluntary labour have gone in to creating a habitat that nature is making the most of.

Posted on: Monday, 11 August 2014

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