Habitat April 2015
Transcription
Habitat April 2015
NORTH SHORE BRANCH Forest & Bird developed the North-west Wild Link (NWWL) concept about ten years ago. The concept is a network of protected green spaces which allow wildlife to flourish and move about without fear of being slaughtered by predators. NWWL links the predator-free Hauraki Gulf islands with the Waitakere Ranges and its Forest & Bird-led Ark in the Park, a 2000 ha area subject to intensive volunteer-based predator control. NWWL has had variable support over the years. Recently the Auckland Council Biodiversity team has been more supportive. Local board support is variable – Hibiscus and Bays has written NWWL into its plans with real dollars. The Upper Harbour Local Board plan does not mention it, despite the board being right in the NWWL pathway. What really matters is what is happening on the ground. We are working actively to stop bush blocks from being destroyed and then we need to ensure they are looked after. On the North Shore, we’ve been working with Auckland Council on a model of volunteer-run predator control in council reserves, using secure stations for rat bait, Timms traps for possums and DOC200 traps for stoats. Signage, training, bait, safety and recording are standardised. Ideally, care groups are using established monitoring techniques to prove that what they are doing is working. I would like to see wildlinks graded bronze, silver or gold, with bronze meaning active pest-plant control, silver meaning active predator control, and gold meaning proven low-predator numbers. FROM THE CHAIR Greenhithe are looking at it. There is now talk of a southeast wild link from the Hunuas to the Waitakeres. In fact, all over New Zealand, Forest & Bird and related volunteers are killing predators to protect our threatened wildlife. The big dream is to rid the whole of NZ of major predators such as rats, possums and stoats. This concept has strong support with the launch recently of the Predator Free New Zealand Trust. With big names like Rob Fenwick and Gareth Morgan involved, we can expect some real action with this . The idea is to first achieve predator control on large islands like Rakiura/Stewart Island and Aotea/Great Barrier, followed by making large peninsulas like the Coromandel predator free. If you live next to a block of bush in need of work please contact us as I am very keen to see more pieces of the wild-link jigsaw puzzle protected. Richard Hursthouse, Chair Photo by Jason Serle (Facebook) Wild Links April 2015 Through the Kaipatiki Restoration Network, we’re working with other groups taking on predator control in the reserves they are active in. Le Roys Bush and Kauri Point Centennial Park now have active volunteer-led predator control, as does Tuff Crater and Centennial Park in Campbells Bay. Some private landowners in Campbells Bay are getting on board with the Campbells Bay Urban Sanctuary concept. Monitoring at Tuff and Centennial shows a marked drop off in rat numbers. I have seen small flocks of fantails in Centennial Park, where previously we only ever saw one at a time. A shining light in the wild link ‘business’ has been the Hibiscus Coast branch with their Pest-Free Peninsula concept. Inspired by Shakespear Regional Park being predator free, and with an easy template to follow, the branch has expanded predator control into several large areas, and private properties are bringing the community along with them. They have produced a google map called ’Paint the Peninsula Purple’ where predator-controlled areas are coloured purple. Other groups active in predator control include Stillwater, Okura, Albany, and Paremoremo. Herald Island and NEW START TIME FOR BRANCH MEETINGS FROM APRIL Your committee has decided to begin our public meetings 15 minutes earlier than in the past. We look forward to seeing you there by 7.30 pm. Trip report: Magic on a mountain Forest & Bird North Shore branch (with others) stayed three nights at Ruapehu Lodge in January. The weather was fantastic. We had a smorgasbord of potluck dinners. What prompted me to write this was the morning of day one picking up rubbish up the hill! The summit of Ruapehu, with its captured pockets of snow; the other peaks clearly visible in a cloudless sky; a free ride in the Centennial Chairlift up to Hut Flat. We spread out across the head of Tennants Valley armed with rubbish bags. Slowly and methodically we descended to the Top o’ the Bruce, picking our way down the exposed detritus of te maunga’s many eruptions, collecting rubbish that had been buried in snow. The stark beauty of the rocks on a clear calm morning, the odd bird or two, an occasional hare, the treasure of many and varied alpine plants… this was the magic. That evening Harry Keys, volcanologist for DoC, joined us to talk about eruptions, lahars and managing the risks to human activities in an active volcanic zone. The following morning, he led our walk up the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (TAC) track from the Ketetahi road-end to where the two 2012 Te Maari eruptions had made their mark. This was a steady climb up through the enchanting kāmahi and mixed podocarp bush (including Halls tōtara), and above into sub-alpine vegetation. In places, both track and bush have been blitzed by lahars resulting from debris built up in the streams. Lahar bridges that can easily be moved to new positions have been installed. As we climbed out of the bush through the tussock and scrub, Te Maari Craters and the steaming Ketetahi Springs came into view. The now-ruined Ketetahi Hut could be seen but was still tantalisingly distant. The scars of the lahars were starkly visible. At this stage, cloud and rain came in, reminding us of just how quickly weather can change on a mountain. The writer descended with one other person but hardier participants went a little further up with Harry. Off track, they stood in the bomb holes made by huge rocks tossed up by the eruptions. In the rain, hundreds of people were descending, having started the TAC at the Mangatepōpō road-end. Some were still climbing up from the northern side where we had Te Maari Craters, the most active vents on Tongariro maunga. Photo: Neil Davies started. A young Swiss couple, totally ill-equipped (T-shirt, shorts and not much else) asked me how far was it to the hut. No wonder ‘accidents’ happen. Before leaving to go home on the final day, we admired the wonderful red mistletoe in the Whakapapa Village camping ground. But wait, there was more! On the way home, Margi showed us a great bush reserve – Ōhinetonga Forest – on the true left bank of the Whakapapa River near Ōwhango. This walk took almost three more hours. The bush has truly magnificent tall tawa, rimu and mataī. The river and a serene pond are surrounded by ferns and other native plants, which made for another memorable occasion. One further comment: Forest and Bird’s Ruapehu Lodge is a great place to stay. It is extremely well equipped, beautifully designed and well placed to see a fabulous view of Mt Ruapehu. Many thanks, Margi, for organising this, and to all fellow travellers on this trip. We dined well and had lots of fun. For the cost of $30 a night, plus our petrol and food, it could not have been better. Joe Greig NORTHERN REGIONAL MEETING Our branch is hosting the annual Northern Regional Meeting of Forest & Bird members on Saturday May 2. This will be an all-day meeting at the Senior Citizens Hall in Takapuna (where our branch meetings are held), with interesting speakers and, above all, a great opportunity to mix and talk with F&B members from Franklin to the far north. We will be catering the event and would love your input with baking, on-site hot drinks, preparing cold lunches etc. If you would like to help and/or attend, please contact our secretary, Jocelyn, on northshore.branch@ forestandbird.org.nz or 479 2107. 2 | April 2015 Forest & Birders in one of thousands of bomb holes produced by the eruption on 6 August 2012 - within a radius of 2km of Te Maari Craters. Photo: Philp Moll Ecofest North: March 14 to April 12 Living sustainably for te ao, te whanau, ki ahau – for the world, the family and for me Ecofest is an opportunity for all members – and non-members – to get involved in environmental activities in our patch. This month-long autumn festival celebrating all things ecological and environmental is once again upon us. And once again the North Shore branch of Forest & Bird is involved. Our contribution in 2015 includes two Tuff Crater Saturday work days (March 14 and April 11). They are listed as Forest & Bird Tuff Crater Volunteering Mornings. Forest & Bird Tuff Crater Working Bees on Thursday mornings are also part of Ecofest. Centennial Park Volunteer work days (Wednesdays) are listed too. Our branch April meeting on Easter Monday (April 6) includes a DVD, Primeval Paradise. See page 7 for details. Food foraging is a bush walk with a difference in Awaruku Reserve on Sunday March 22. For all Ecofest events, see http://kaipatiki.org.nz/ecofest/ Community events From time to time, our membership person, Helene Willis, sets up a stall at local community events to promote Forest & Bird. If you are a people person, enthusiastic about F&B and free on occasional weekends, please contact Helene on 480 885 or willis24@xtra.co.nz Helene Willis, Anne Denny and Jocelyn Sanders at one of our F&B promotions. Photo Richard Hursthouse Climate Change Are you interested in linking up with other people interested in climate change? There is a now a Facebook Carbon Group. It is a closed group but you can simply sign up and ask to be a member. They frequently post interesting climate change information. Rave (NZ Herald, 24 Feb 2015, in response to a rant the week before) As frustrating as it may be to look at dead trees, my praise goes to the organisers and volunteers at Tuff Crater in Northcote, who have transformed this area from a weed-infested area in 2000 to the developing native forest it is today. Forest and Bird have put in hundreds of hours of work, weeding and planting, and raised much money for this volunteer project. Let us get out and join them - good things can take some time. Anne Tuff Crater Tuff continues to be our major restoration project with visible dramatic progress lately at the western end either side of St Peters St. Our big planting day this year is early on Saturday May 9 at 9 am, with plant moving on Friday May 8. There are 1700 Kaipatiki Project-grown plants to install, and multiple hands are needed so please diarise this date now. BBQ supplied afterwards. The planting site is best accessed from St Peters St. Our regular working bees are on every Thursday morning from 9.30 and every second Saturday from 9 am. Working bee dates are April 11, May 9, June 13 and July 11. We welcome corporate or community group input. For more information, please contact Anne Denny on 480 5570 or annedenny@xtra.co.nz BTW, did you see the footage that was shown on Choice TV’s Get Growing programme in December last year? If not, here it is: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Forest-and-BirdAuckland/202932153086469 April 2015 |3 Autumn weed alert As you enjoy Auckland over autumn, you can help keep our region beautiful by reporting some of the less common, but pesty, plants hiding in our midst. One of these plants is Asiatic knotweed, a shrub-like plant from Japan that grows rapidly. Once established, it can form dense stands that shade and crowd out all other vegetation, and it is easily spread by fragments. What to look for? Leaves are 10 to 15 cm long and triangular – oval-shaped, pointed at the tip, with a flattened leaf base. A creamy-white flower appears from December to March. It can grow up to 3 m high. It is a Total Control plant in our Regional Pest Management Strategy (RPMS), so Auckland Council will do the control work, and wants to know where it is, on public and private land. Asiatic knotweed flower Photo: Auckland City Council Chinese knotweed is another one the council is on the look-out for. It is not listed in the RPMS as it was discovered after this was written, but it is a national Unwanted Organism and is highly invasive. It can overrun native plants and forests, particularly along forest fringes. It can be distributed with garden rubbish and on contaminated gardening tools, including lawnmowers. This is one of the most recent discoveries, with the first site in Auckland found in Glenfield in 2009. What to look for? The stems are pinkish in colour and leaves, 4 to 16 cm long, are generally soft textured with serrated edges. It flowers in autumn with creamy-pink flowers in clusters at the end of leafed stems. Chinese knotweed flower Photo: Auckland City Council Autumn is also the season for cathedral bells to flower, making them easier to spot. This plant, from Central and South America, is also a Total Control pest plant that Auckland Council will control. It is a vine that can smother large native plants and suppress seedlings. What to look for? It has large, bell-shaped, greeny-white to purple flowers, light green oval leaves, and tendrils. African feather grass, also known as veld grass, is spread by seed which can cling to clothing, wool and the hair of animals. It will move by water and wind. Broken rhizomes can also form new colonies. This South African import is a major weed of roadsides and dunelands. It is also in the Total Control category. What to look for? It’s a clump-forming grass that grows up to 2 m high. A yellow-purplish, narrow, cylindrical flower spike with bristly seeds appears from November to April. Cathedral Bells flower Photo: Auckland City Council If you think you see any of these plants, please contact Auckland Council biosecurity on 09 301 0101 or biosecurity@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz giving the location. You can also visit www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/pest for more information on pest plants in Auckland, and to view the latest newsletters for the Auckland Weedspotters Network. African feather grass flower. Photo: Auckland City Council 4 | April 2015 North Head On a recent walk around North Head in Devonport I noticed several significant pest plant infestations, including rhamnus, Passiflora caerulia and privet. On further enquiry to the Department of Conservation, which manages North Head, I found out that the entire budget for pest-plant control for DOC Auckland mainland land has been halved from $6000 to $3000! Considering we are spending about $30,000 pa at Tuff Crater alone, this is a miserable figure. There is a small volunteer group helping out with North Head. If you wish to assist, please contact DOC at North Head. Richard Hursthouse Pest plant Passiflora caerulia flowering and fruiting on North Head. Photo: Richard Hursthouse Get involved with Kauri Glen Northcote Glenfield Rotary is working with us, and Helen Ferguson of Friends of Kauri Glen, to formalise a society to care for Kauri Glen Reserve in Northcote. Kauri Glen is a fantastic asset. Issues there include encroachment by subdivision, weed control, kauri dieback prevention and of course potential for more predator control. If you would like to be involved,please contact Richard who will put you in touch with the group. KCC Newsletter sponsor required For many years Brian Gannon kindly sponsored the printing of our Kiwi Conservation Club newsletter. This involved printing about 600 double-sided newsletters onto green paper, three times a year. Brian can no longer do this. If you would like to take this on, or sponsor the printing of the KCC newsletter, please contact Richard Hursthouse. Welcome Pterostylis agathicola - one of the treasures in Kauri Glen Reserve. Photo Richard Hursthouse Please think about joining our committee The North Shore branch has an active committee of dedicated Forest & Birders. We would dearly love a few more, especially young and energetic people! In particular, we would love some help with promoting the wild-link concept on public and private land. If you are interested, please contact Richard. The Forest & Bird Face-to-Face recruitment team has been working on the North Shore so we have had a surge of new members. We extend a very sincere welcome and thank you to all new members. There are many ways to get involved with local projects, if you want to. If the time is not right for that, we still greatly value your financial support. 2015 AGM Our AGM will be held before our speaker’s presentation on Monday May 4. If you have any business you would like specifically discussed, or if you could like to join our committee, please contact Richard by May 3. April 2015 |5 New committee member: John Brown ‘I believe that everyone can contribute toward the preservation of this planet.’ At our AGM in May 2014, we welcomed John Brown (pictured) to the committee. He inherited the kauri protection portfolio from Fiona Callen, who resigned in 2013. John was a secondary school teacher in Christchurch and Timaru, teaching science and biology with a focus on ecology and evolution. One of the things he did was run four-day ecology field trips for Year 12 (sixth form) students at the Temple Basin ski field above Arthur’s Pass. ‘This was a challenge for many students as the lodge was bolted to the rock halfway up a mountain and only accessible via a steep track that took up to two hours to reach,’ says John. ‘Nor’-west storms were most impressive. The resident kea family was very entertaining. ‘Students still remember this trip 35 years later. Most developed an understanding of, and respect for, the NZ forest and montane ecosystems. For many, it was the start of outdoor activities such as tramping and mountaineering.’ John prides himself on spending his working life encouraging young people to treat the world with respect. Becoming active in Forest & Bird upon retirement some six years ago, John helped with the restoration of Kākahu Bush near Geraldine. ‘Passionfruit vines are the main problem there, followed by hawthorn, cotoneaster, and a few others, but nothing like the number of pest plants in Auckland.’ John also got involved with native planting, animal monitoring/trapping, and regeneration monitoring. He was involved with the setting up and monitoring of bat boxes imported from Germany to provide nesting sites for long-tailed bats found around Hanging Rock near Geraldine. In August 2013 John and his wife Alison moved to Auckland for family reasons. It didn’t take long for John to start coming to our branch meetings, participating in trips and assisting at Tuff Crater. ‘I’ve been very impressed by the size, leadership and organisation of the North Shore branch as well as the NEW SHOAL BAY NATIVE BIRD SIGNS Protection of Shoal Bay is a high priority for our branch. We recently created two identical interpretive signs - one on the eastern Shoal Bay walkway and the other at Charles St, aiming to raise awareness of the special birdlife living there. The signs were designed by Richard Hursthouse, Philip Moll and Kate Hursthouse. Manufacture and installation was funded by Auckland Council. One of two signs installed at Shoal Bay. Photo: Philip Moll 6 | April 2015 John Brown, enthusiastic about forest restoration. Photo: Philip Moll achievements at Tuff Crater,’ says John. ‘And I’ve been encouraged by the friendly, welcoming members.’ The Browns’ property overlooks Wharepapa Reserve (near Schnapper Rock) which John has adopted as a local conservation project. He’s got most of the neighbours involved. At a community planting day in August, 900 native plants were put into an old illegal dump site that had been cleared. ‘I’m impressed by the support from the officers of Auckland Council and the input from local communities into reserves, including our local one. Rather worrying, however, are the 13 possums I caught within three weeks – in our newly planted area – and the damage they’ve done to the small pōhutukawa.’ The Browns have three children and two grandchildren. Margi Keys WHAT'S ON... meetings,trips & activities Public Meetings Public meetings take place on the first Monday each month (excluding January) including public holidays. Venue: Takapuna Senior Citizens’ Hall, The Strand, Takapuna (behind Takapuna library). Time: 7.30 pm, starting with ‘the Good, the Bad and the Beautiful’ (native of the month, weed of the month, moth of the month) and environmental updates. Admission: A koha/donation is appreciated to cover costs. Please give generously. Non-members are welcome. Do join us for supper afterwards. For further information, phone Liz Anstey on 480 1545. Speakers: April to July 2015 April 6 (Easter Monday): DVD Primeval Paradise A stunning one-hour video of rare wildlife on Ulva Island, off Stewart Island, will be shown. This 270 ha island has become a nationally significant open sanctuary, with the translocation of mōhua (yellowhead), tīeke (saddleback), Stewart Island robin and tititipounamu (rifleman). These endangered species flourish on pest-free Ulva. Viewers will witness the life on Ulva Island through the eyes of a local robin. Attendees will not be disappointed. May 4: Primer paint and tiny brushes – the wonderful world of coralline algae Have you ever looked at rocks near low tide at the beach and thought they looked like someone has spilled pink primer paint on them? You were looking at one of the wonders of the algae world – seaweeds that protect themselves from herbivory by ‘hardening up’ with calciumbased armour. There are many different kinds of these algae. Recent work at NIWA, the University of Otago and the University of Auckland has allowed us to better understand the New Zealand species. Dr Judy Sutherland is a senior research fellow at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. Her talk is about the diversity of these amazing seaweeds and what roles they play in coastal ecosystems, plus the overall research programme and some of the other organisms being worked on. June 1 (Queen’s Birthday Weekend): Seabird research in the Hauraki Gulf, a global diversity hotspot The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park is a globally significant seabird hotspot with 27 species breeding amongst a myriad of offshore island and mainland sites. Research in this natural laboratory is revealing the lifestyles of seabirds and the birds’ importance as ecological links between marine and terrestrial environments. However, in comparison with terrestrial avifauna, our understanding of the biology of seabirds remains poor – yet it is critical for effective conservation management. This lack of understanding is exemplified in the case of the New Zealand storm petrel (NZSP), photographed in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park in 2003 following 108 years of presumed extinction. Ten years on, in February 2013, this critically endangered species was finally tracked to a breeding site on Te Hauturu-o-Toi / Little Barrier Island, only 50 km from Auckland. Dr Matt Rayner is a senior biologist based at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. He will present an overview of recent seabird research in the Hauraki Gulf, including the highs and lows of the search for the NZSP, and how lessons learned from this project can be transferred to conservation biology in general. July 6: Batman! Ben Paris, Senior Biodiversity Advisor with Auckland Council, is Auckland’s one and only bat man. He’ll take you on a journey of discovery about bats around the world, bats in NZ, and our special bats in Auckland. Learn about the research happening around Auckland and how you can be involved to help save our bats. Long-tailed and short-tailed bats are our only native land mammals; they are both highly threatened by the loss of habitat and predation by pest animals. If these bats become extinct, we will lose a large part of our indigenous fauna forever. Trips: April to July BROWNS ISLAND/MOTUKOREA Saturday April 11, 9 am to 3.30pm Thirty passengers paying $70 each will depart from St Heliers on Facilitator 5 at 9 am. We will be picked up from the island at 3 pm. Dr Harry Keys (DoC technical adviser – volcanology) will explain the geological features of this intact little volcano. The plan is to climb to the summit (68 m) and circumnavigate the island. NB: This trip is now full. TUFF CRATER COMMUNITY PLANTING DAY Saturday May 9, 9am Access is via St Peters St. See Tuff Crater update, page 3. PEACH HILL, RAMARAMA Saturday June 27, 9.30 to 11.30 am Visit another F&B restoration project, this time with Franklin branch secretary Keith Gardner. The 6 ha block was first planted in kanuka and manuka in the 1990s, creating a nursery for the longer-lived species. The tallest of these are now over 6 m. Take the Ramarama exit and turn left to meet at Farrells Nursery. Please book with Margi Keys. THREE STREAMS RESERVE, ALBANY Saturday July 25, 9am Join your chairman for a ramble through this Albany reserve containing large kauri. We will move at a botanical pace taking in all the plants and birds seen. The walk will probably take about 2 hours. Three Streams is at 343 Dairy Flat Highway, about 1km on the left past Albany village. Drive into the reserve and park near the buildings on the left. Please register with Richard Hursthouse richard.hursthouse@gmail.com, 410 5339 or 021 216 1296. April 2015 |7 Thanks to our supporters Committee members and assistants 2015 NAME Chair, Tuff Crater, Trips co-ordinator Richard Hursthouse Secretary Jocelyn Sanders Treasurer Ray Simpson Deputy Chair Claire Stevens Membership, Community promotions Helene Willis Publicity/media/web, iwi liaison, speakers Liz Anstey Habitat editor/KCC Margi Keys Archiving, Naturespace, technical support Philip Moll Kauri protection, John Brown EMAIL richard.hursthouse@gmail.com jocsanders@vodafone.co.nz PHONE 410 5339 021 216 1296 Fax 410 9213 479 2107 027 290 4826 ray.simpson@clear.net.nz 486 6875 027 279 7497 claire.stevens@xtra.co.nz 419 1233 willis24@xtra.co.nz 480 8851 lizanstey@hotmail.com 480 1545 027 476 2732 makeys@compassnet.co.nz 443 6919 0274 481 581 philip@creativemomentsimages. co.nz 489 9313 027 213 5873 ajjeb@ihug.co.nz 415 2054 Calendars & diaries Elaine Conway ebarry2@orcon.net.nz Tuff Crater Anne Denny annedenny@xtra.co.nz 480 5770 021 121 4610 peter.hassell@ix.net.nz 445 6734 027 281 420 linda@earthmaker.co.nz 413 9851 RMA Peter Hassell Habitat Mailing Linda Johnson HABITAT EDITOR: Margi Keys 443 6919, makeys@compassnet.co.nz BIRD RESCUE: Sylvia Durrant 478 8819 CONTACT: Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society Tiaki Taiao, North Shore Branch PO Box 33-873, Takapuna, Auckland 0740 New Zealand www.forestandbird.org.nz northshore.branch@forestandbird.org.nz ROBIN PURLLANT GRAPHIC DESIGN www.robinpurllant.co.nz We are sincerely grateful for sponsorship from ASB Community Trust for Tuff Crater. We are grateful to Robin Purllant for design (robpurl@vodafone.co.nz) and Garry Browne and Sharon Peebles of Print Advisor (garry@printadvisor.co.nz) for sponsoring this newsletter, and also KalePrint and Actionmail. Please support our sponsors. If you are concerned about conservation issues in your area please contact Richard Hursthouse NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH SHORE BRANCH ROYAL FOREST AND BIRD PROTECTION SOCIETY TIEKE OR NORTH ISLAND SADDLEBACK THE NORTH SHORE BRANCH EMBLEM