News

The Great Matuku-Muster

Sunday 17 November - Some photos from the afternoon workshop and evening bittern surveying at Bushy Point.

Posted on: Wednesday, 20 November 2024

SERN Spring Trip 2024: Meandering the Mataura River

Another successful field trip was attended by 35 people involved or interested in the Southland ecological restoration work going on, in this case in the lower and mid-Mataura catchment.

The day began with a visit to O’Neills Bush at Titiroa. Formal restoration of this forest began after the purchase of the lower Mataura floodplain in the early 1980’s by the Southland Regional Council. At the time they fenced off and protected the forest remnants with a QEII Open Space Covenant. This small bush block was being replanted by local schools in the early 2000’s (https://www.sern.org.nz/project-directory/oneills-bush-mataura-floodplain/) , filling in areas of grass within the fenced off QEII covenant. The goal was to give this small forest remnant better protection from the elements and reduce the opportunity for weeds to establish. At the time there was also work done on the removal of holly.

More recently there has been plantings undertaken by the ES Biodiversity team, filling in an area between the forest and the Southern Scenic Route, along with more plantings in other areas remaining around the forest edge. As well as this there is now extensive animal pest control work going on in these lower Mataura remnants by Environment Southland, ensuring the better health of flora and fauna.

There was talk of future visions and the opportunity to retire more land, acknowledging that the area is low-lying, wet and experiences flooding several times in a year. So, although lessees have managed to bring in good pastures in places, it was recognised as a difficult farming environment.

From Titiroa we travelled up the east side of the Mataura River to a recently registered QEII covenant on John Somerville’s farm. The interesting feature here was the protection of 500+ year old matai and rimu standing in pasture with a Life of the Trees covenant. QEII rep Jesse Bythell explained the value of these trees as a source of genetic variability in seed and for pollination, habitat for birds and insects (even as a partially dead tree), providing protection for the adjacent fenced off forest and as a landscape feature.

At Gore, we were addressed by Keith McRobie, Parks Manager with GDC. Since his arrival several years ago he has reinvigorated the Gore Forest Restoration project (https://www.sern.org.nz/project-directory/gore-native-forest-restoration/). This is native plantings on the old Gore landfill site, just below Hamilton Park, which was initiated by Men of the Trees members, especially Don and Margaret Lamont, 20 odd years ago. A Trust was established at the time and funding gained, with the project being overseen by Janet Gregory, Landcare Trust and Arne Clelland, Pukerau Nursery. On their moving away, little work was done here for a number of years, but more recently Keith has engaged with the schools and service groups, who have helped to plant several thousand plants into the area each year.

The final visit was to the Pukerau Nursery, where we heard from James and Maree Holloway about their belief in using eco-sourced stock. They were all too aware that a number of places sell plants brought from further afield and that these did not survive as well as plants whose seeds were collected locally. This is especially important if you are working on a restoration project, that the plants you are putting in are those species found in the Ecological District.

Our final discussion was about how nature will change things over time. The DOC managed Red Tussock Scientific Reserve just below Pukerau, is gradually becoming a flaxland in drier zones and dominated by wire rush in another area. So, what you protect and restore today may become a quite different habitat in a hundred years. However our native flora and fauna will find its balance, all the better for the work being done by those involved in these and other Southland restoration projects along the way, with planting and animal and plant pest control.

Another day, visit the amazing Jo Ogier exhibition at the Eastern Southland Gallery and discover some of what was and potentially would could be there in the future.

Posted on: Wednesday, 20 November 2024

Rural Women's group workday in the sun at Dipton Wetland!

A few of the group were out releasing plantings and doing the trap checks today. After all the rain and floods it was a good chance to see how things have fared. The results of recent bait refills were evident with a few dead possum seen too. For more details of future working bees, contact Ann Irving at Rural Women NZ

Posted on: Thursday, 17 October 2024

Biocontrol agents for Darwin's Barberry and Chilean Flame Creeper - feedback sought regarding the release of these

Walter Fieldes, Biosecurity Officer - Plants at ES, is seeking pre-application feedback prior to applying to EPA for release the bioconctorl agents for these two pest plant species in our region.

Please read this attached letter (PDF, 611.19 kB) and other information CFC flyer (PDF, 1.42 MB), DBRust (PDF, 1.73 MB).

There is further information from a dedicated website and ES has set up a page on the ES Website for stakeholders to submit views and feedback.

Manaaki Whenua have two 30minute webinars from their Biosecutity Bonanza covering both agents. Access here.

ES are holding two online Q&A sessions (11am-noon and 7-8pm on 22 Oct ) Please send an email to [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] to register for the Q&A session. Walter is happy to speak to anyone personally if you would like further information or can’t make either of the Q&A sessions: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] 021 500 664

Posted on: Thursday, 26 September 2024

Bushy Point Planting 15 September 2024

The Otatara Landcare Group volunteers have been planting in the month of September since 2011 when the Living Legends project began (and before that since the year 2000). But never has the weather been worse than this time – 7 degrees and rain! But cancelling an event like this is like turning around a tanker – it has a momentum, there has been so much preparation (preparing the site, putting all the plants and equipment out, advertising etc), that to postpone and reorganise is a thankless task. So……. We went ahead, albeit thinking it wasn’t BBQ weather, so that was abandoned (20kg of sausages and onions now in various peoples freezers!). We still didn’t know if people would turn up – but this is Southland, and don’t we love it!! The two Chris’ and Cathy stood in the rain welcoming people and as they turned up Barry set people straight into planting. The track was much too muddy to get most cars except 4WD’s onto site so a few minutes walking to where lots of high viz vests were on the sand dunes and it went from there. More people arrived until we had 69 people on site. Unfortunately, the many children who attended last year, wern’t there (much too cold), but those who braved it actually seemed to be having fun! In around two hours all one thousand plants were in the ground tucked up in their combi-guards safe from rabbits and we wandered home satisfied with the days work.

Another important tree was planted on-site. A special totara tree for our Legend All Black Kevin Laidlaw. Kevin died in July this year but until that time from the 2011 Living Legends planting Kevin and his wife Maymie supported our plantings every year until their health declined over recent years. A special totara was planted by their son and son-in-law.

Many thanks go to Barry Smith for the lions share of the organising and work, his helpers at the Community Nursery who loaded and placed all the plants the previous Friday, OLG committee members for help with prep and on the day, Central Baptist Church for all their volunteers and everyone-else who came from Otatara, Invercargill, Bluff and SIT. It was actually a great day and if you missed it because you thought it wouldn’t be on there will be another opportunity where you can help release previous years plants, hopefully with BBQ this time.

Chris,

for Otatara Landcare Group

Posted on: Tuesday, 17 September 2024