Southland Community Nursery has a brand new website - www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz It contains lots of plant information specific to Southland - propagation techniques, planting lists, planting profiles, threatened plant information, information for volunteers, places to visit and lots of photographs. Visit the site and then visit the nursery on a Friday morning.
Posted on: Tuesday, 18 January 2011
DOC have had a trap line in place along the Eglinton Valley road for 10 years. Recent lizard population surveys show that numbers have increased from 20 to near 1,000 per monitoring plot. Good news for the black fronted terns that nest in the nearby riverbed, fish and lizards being a main food source. A recent working bee led by PC Taylor of Knobs Flat, found a number of tern nest sites along the edge of the Eglinton River. Nesting amongst the open gravel areas, the growth of lupins on the gravel beds creates the perfect hiding place for predators. The removal of lupins is a focus of a restoration project here. In areas where the lupins are not so dense, hand pulling is being undertaken. Volunteers to help with this work are always welcomed by PC – contact him at [Enable JavaScript to view protected content].
Posted on: Thursday, 2 December 2010
Thanks to an approach by May and Russell Evans to the Otatara Landcare Group (OLG), kereru should now be less at risk of being hit by vehicles around the streets of Otatara. The Evans run Bush Haven, a place where injured birds can be taken to. They are all too aware that being hit by a car is a real risk for the native birds living in the bush in this special area west of Invercargill. An approach was made by the OLG to the Invercargill City Council to look at the idea of erecting ‘Caution Kereru’ signs to encourage people to slow up and watch out for low flying birds on streets kereru frequent. The Regulatory Services Committee supported the proposal, with the roading department overseeing the sign construction and erection. A wonderful example of community working with council for positive outcomes.
Posted on: Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Peter Thompson reports: “The trapping programme at East Peak has gone extremely well since starting in November, with a small group of dedicated helpers checking and rebaiting the 50 DOC 200 traps every weekend. Fresh rabbit & hare bait has been used throughout the summer but now have changed to salted bait which will be checked fortnightly throughout the winter until spring. Our catch totals as of the end of May are: Stoats 49, Ferrets 15, Weasels 8, Hedgehogs 20, Rats 36, Mice 15 (The latter were caught with mouse traps in the tunnels after the mice kept eating the bait.) There is a growing interest in the programme & we are presently working on a display for the club photo box in the Main Street, Gore.”
Posted on: Tuesday, 22 June 2010
One of Fiordland Conservation Trust’s latest projects is the Pateke/Brown Teal transfer which is happening in the Arthur Valley, Milford Track. The pateke is endemic and is New Zealand’s most endangered species of waterfowl. In March 2009, twenty young pateke were released into the Arthur Valley in Fiordland. This was the first large release of pateke in the South Island and has been one of the most successful releases of pateke anywhere in the country. The Fiordland Conservation Trust, in partnership with Ultimate Hikes, has just released a further forty pateke in to the Arthur Valley, and hope to do another forty in 2011. The plan is to build a self sustaining population by 2014. For more information on this project, please look at FCT’s website www.fiordlandconservationtrust.org.nz.
Posted on: Sunday, 11 April 2010