News • Southland Ecological Restoration Network

OLG celebrate 10,000 hours of work!

Since the Otatara Landcare Group began the Bushy Point restoration project in 2000, many voluntary hours have gone in to plant propagation, planting, maintenance, weed control, predator control, along with running events and producing newsletters to promote the wonderful natural values of the area. This weekend the OLG celebrates this achievement with a gathering at the Otatara Community Centre. Congratulations to everyone who helped to reach this major milestone, bringing that vision of joining the two forest remnants with a corridor of natives and enhancing birdlife in the area, to fruition.

Posted on: Wednesday, 2 July 2014

Mike Joy speaks about Water Quality

On Saturday 14th June Mike Joy, one of NZ’s leading fresh water ecologists, spoke to an audience of 80 people in Invercargill about his concerns for the ongoing decline in the state of NZ’s water ways. Land use intensification is seen to be the issue, with conversion to high production dairy farms resulting in a source of nitrates entering our streams and groundwaters which are difficult to manage. The result of these high nutrient levels is increased algal growth, reducing natural flora instream and lowering oxygen levels. He commented that the number of our native fish species in the threatened category has increased from less than 30% to 74% over the last two decades due to loss and degradation of habitat.

Posted on: Tuesday, 17 June 2014

Nature Centre An Exciting Place to Explore

The opening of the Nature Centre at the Southland Community Nursery last Friday offers great educational opportunities. An exciting and colourful room with stimulating environmental murals, it is a place that schools will be able to make great use of. Chris Rance’s vision of providing an all weather facility is an extension of the work that she has already done with many schools. Numerous school pupils have used the nursery and the restoration area for studies in the past, but not always easy in bad weather. Now with this new facility, teachers will be able to rest assured, knowing that regardless of the weather the pupils will be able to enjoy the wonderful natural environment, undertaking indoor tasks in comfort and getting outside when the weather breaks.

Posted on: Monday, 11 November 2013

Brown teal numbers increase in Fiordland

Seventy-four endangered brown teal/pateke were released into the Arthur Valley on the Milford Track on Thursday 21 February 2013 as a result of a new Great Walk conservation initiative between the Department of Conservation and Air New Zealand. The pateke release is part of the wider Air New Zealand Great Walks Biodiversity Project – a $1 million dollar conservation initiative that aims to restore bird life and habitats along DOC’s Great Walks, including the Milford Track. As well as funding the pateke release, the Air New Zealand Great Walks Biodiversity Project is supporting increased predator control along the Milford Track. The density of stoat traps along the track has been doubled over the past few months and possum and rat control is being established in part of the Clinton Valley as well.

Posted on: Sunday, 3 March 2013

Chilean Flame Creeper on way out at Bowmans Bush

With another annual working bee on Chilean flame creeper (Cfc) at QEII National Trust’s Bowmans Bush, Otatara, it was evident that the size of the problem is much reduced. Thanks go to the Otatara Landcare Group for organising the event. The working bee, ably lead by Randall Milne, Environment Southland’s weed expert, was well attended with over 16 people present proving the old addage of many hands make light work! In the early days the Cfc was so extensive that only some areas were attacked during the annual working bee. In this year’s effort all the Cfc present got the message that it was not wanted, being pulled to the ground and the vines broken off at ground level. The message to those landowners who have the pest in their area is persistent pulling does pay.

Posted on: Tuesday, 26 February 2013

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