News

Friends of Kew Bush getting busy!

A big turnout at the weekend to give Kew Bush a bit of a tidy up before the biosecurity conference NETS delegates visit at the end of the month. Some of the volunteers who have worked for years will be there to talk about the history of how the transformation of this piece of forest started to where it is now. Several students from SIT will be taking a leading role in carrying out the next stage of restoration and will be running regular workdays. Everyone is welcome - keep an eye on the Friends of Kew Bush fb page for details.

Posted on: Tuesday, 16 July 2024

NZ Nature Fund seeks donations to help save our Southern Dotterel

The Southern NZ Dotterel is one of the closest birds on the planet to extinction. There is estimated to be just 101 individual birds as of April 2024— representing a 19% decline since 2023.

Rakiura is the last refuge for these birds, but it is still not safe. Feral cats frequently predate on adult birds and their chicks. White-tail deer and rats have also been observed scavenging dotterel eggs.

New Zealand Nature Fund has committed to raising $400,000 to help save the Southern New Zealand Dotterel. Donations will be used to cut more tracks in and around the bird’s breeding areas; build bivvies so the DOC team can stay longer in the remote alpine area and to increase satellite tracking of the birds.

Supporting this cause will aid desperate pest control efforts in remote dotterel breeding habitats, helping to protect the birds when they are most vulnerable. Additionally, it will help fund monitoring and research of the species.

A recent contribution of $20,000 from Southland Forest & Bird, has meant funds raised to date stand at over $100,000, which is a great start in just a few months. If you would like to help with a donation go to https://nznaturefund.org/projects/southern-dotterel-tuturiwhatu/. Check out the excellent video there with Invercargill’s Daniel Cocker, now a DOC Ranger working with the Southern Dotterel.

Posted on: Wednesday, 29 May 2024

New start for Friends of Thomson's Bush

Following an initial meeting with ICC recently, keen volunteers will undertake weed control and restoration management to this beautiful remnant of kahikatea forest.

There will be a site meeting (meet Wednesday 22 May 11:30am in the carpark off Queens Dr) to look at where the first project activites will get started and to learn more about other work which is happening in the forest area.

If you are interested in joining the group, do come along or send an email (see lisings) to hear about future working bees.

Posted on: Friday, 17 May 2024

Biodiversity Southland Meetings Focus on Funding Opportunities

Biodiversity Southland was a group formed several decades ago to bring together parties involved in the protection and restoration of our native biodiversity in Southland. Although mainly supported by the agencies, this group is also open to those community groups involved in this work. Since the creation of the Biodiversity team at Environment Southland, this group has been more active with meetings four times a year. At the upcoming meeting next Wednesday 15th May there will a presentation on GEM Local. GEM Local (Grants Expertise Management system) is a grants database designed to help community groups find the right grants for them. There will also be an evening meeting for community groups, at 7.00pm in the ES Council Chambers on the same topic, which will also be livestreamed. If you would like to attend either meeting or need a link to zoom in, please contact Michael Hargraves, ES Biodiversity Officer at [Enable JavaScript to view protected content].

Posted on: Thursday, 9 May 2024

How does your group find funding?

Community conservation is critical to the predator free movement, and we need your help to get a better understanding of how groups are funded and the challenges with current funding.

We’re asking community-led conservation groups to fill in this short survey about their group and how they fund their activities. Only one response per group, please.

The survey will be open until the end of April. By completing this survey you’ll enter the draw to win a $500 Prezzy card for your group. The final report will be made public in July 2024.

Please feel free to forward this to other groups who may be interested.

Predator Free NZ Trust

www.predatorfreenz.org

PS Now would be a great time to check your group’s details on our map.

Posted on: Monday, 22 April 2024