Dear Friends of Flora (FoF) and supporters, here's our email newsletter, reporting on our efforts to restore the biodiversity of the Flora Stream end of the Kahurangi National Park. It coincides with a special milestone for us - the destruction of the 200th stoat from the Flora Stream catchment. So, getting straight to our latest pest kill figures...

Stoat 200! Our January 2005 monitoring revealed that FoF volunteers have rid the Flora of a further 12 stoats, 10 rats, 3 mice and 16 possums, bringing our totals since Feb 2002 to: 200 stoats! 383 rats 484 mice, and 74 possums. Along with a few cats and weasels and 19 wasp nests...

Wasp menace arrives! Friends of Flora volunteers have observed that wasps have arrived on the lower I line between Horseshoe Creek and Gridiron Creek. This means we must be getting ready for our assault on them using Finitron and catfood. FoF chairperson Chris Potter has organised the materials and needs volunteers. If you can help, call Chris on 526 6068.

Whio news. The six Pearse River whio ducklings (reported on in our December and January emails) are now nearly fledged and are due to be banded by DoC. At least some of them can be expected to be seen in the Flora Stream in the coming months. Meanwhile the four captive-reared whio released into the Flora in March 2004, recaptured and then re-released into the Rolling River last month have dispersed 'hither and thither' along the river.

Kakariki, weka rebound. These chatty little parakeets have been observed frequently in the Flora in recent weeks. Could some kind reader let me know if they are red-crowned (Cyanomorphus novaezelandiae) or yellow-crowned (C. auriceps)? They are almost certainly not the endangered orange-fronted (C. malherbi)! If you're driving to Christchurch, a good spot to observe these birds is just over the West Bank Bridge of the Maruia River, a minute or so south of the Maruia Falls carpark. I've seen a pair here 3 out of 4 of the last times I've checked it out, though not closely enough to identify to species.

Also, two or three weka has been spotted poking around the Flora, the first sightings for many months.

First Aid. Free First Aid courses are being held regularly by MediTrain at NMIT in Nelson. FoF team leaders are already committed to obtain or maintain their first aid certificates. Two-day sessions are scheduled for 28 Feb/1 March, 4 and 11 March (Fridays) and 8 and 15 March (Tuesdays). For further details reply to this email.

Trap monitoring, Island style Last month Bruce Porter and Chris Potter accompanied Gavin Udy of DoC Motueka on the 2-monthly check of the stoat traps on Adele and Fisherman Islands. The traps were installed in 2003 and have already removed some 20 stoats, thought to have swum to the islands from the mainland (a distance of 5-600 metres at low tide). There are 2 tunnels on Fisherman Island and 23 on a loop track around Adele. The islands are nesting places for little blue penguins, possibly the reason the stoats were attracted.

Bruce and Chris were impressed with some of the vegetation there, including large black beeches, giant akeake and towai or milk tree, now rare on the nearby mainland. Bruce also found some showy white orchids among the granite blocks of the ridgeline.

Gavin has offered to take to take other FoFers across on future monitoring runs. If you are interested please reply to this email or contact Chris Potter on 526 6068.

That's our news for February. We'll be in touch again soon.

Ivan Rogers FoF Committee