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Friends of Flora - Community helping Conservation |
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Fundraising on Track. At the time of writing this newsletter the 1 December target of $24,000 is getting agonizingly close. This sum is required to fund the initial location and relocation of seven pairs of Great Spotted Kiwi/roroa by trained dogs and their handlers. Once the initial target is realised, a further $76,000 is still needed for the three year project, so if you can, dig deep and visit the "Support Us" page to see how you can donate. Remember, donations of $50 or more will put you in the draw for a free night's 5 star accommodation with 4-course dinner for two at the Resurgence Lodge, Riwaka. You can also help by sponsoring Des Lehndorf on his 1250 km South Island trek. Or, buy a case of wine from Sunset Valley Winery and they will donate $20 to the fund - click here for details. Or visit Lesley Hadley and the G Line girls at the Motueka Market this Sunday 22 Nov. Z Line That's the name given to the first completed trap line in the extended trapping area. Z line, in the Cobb Ridge region is the first completed line in our move west to meet up with the trapped areas of Friends of the Cobb and Bush and Beyond. Eventually the area under predator control will be more than 10,000 hectares - that's 100 square kilometres of relative safety for endangered fauna.
Maryann Ewers braves the cold on Cobb Ridge Whio Walk-through Of course, with all the excitement about our coming involvement with kiwi we are not forgetting about our old friends the whio. FoF volunteers will be assisting DOC with their annual walk up the Flora Stream from Balloon Creek to the Flora Hut next month to count the whio encountered. We have every reason to believe there has been more nesting success this Spring. Environmental Awards With 19 contenders in the Community and Neighbourhood Groups category, FoF along with the Brook Waimarama project came away with "highly commended" certificates. Congratulations to joint winners the Sherry River restoration project and Friends of the Waimea Inlet (Mapua Wetland). The awards ceremony took place last Friday at the Woolaston Winery where FoF-ers Chris Potter and Ivan Rogers missed no opportunity to chat up potential donors. It could have been worse! I thought when reading August's Forest and Bird magazine. David Young's article "A shared struggle - conservation in Hawaii and New Zealand" makes reference to the unsuccessful introduction of the mongoose to Nelson in the late 19th century! Related to the mustelids, the small Indian mongoose Herpestes javanicus has been responsible for dozens of bird extinctions in Hawaii, Fiji, the West Indies and Japan, misguidedly introduced for rodent and snake control. The diurnal mongoose had little impact on the nocturnal rats. Imagine what they might have achieved here.
A mongoose licking its chops. Pest Parade The October 2009 trap catch was: Stoats 2 (total 535 since Feb 2002) Rats 22 (total 1893) Mice 15 (total 873) Possums 3 (total 452 since June 2004) A comparison with October last year shows rodent numbers are relatively high this Spring. Thats it for this edition Ivan Rogers, FoF committee |
