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Conservation Volunteers – 16-20 August

The volunteers had an enjoyable week at Leigh.

Many thanks to the Harrisons who kindly provided their holiday home as accommodation.   The team leader, Dawn, was thrilled to have her own en suite!

The team of¬† 5 Japanese,¬† 3 Korean and 1 Spanish volunteers helped to complete the planting funded by Rodney District Councils Natural Heritage Fund and then commenced clearing weeds and planting in the wetland area part way up the valley.¬† These plants were funded by ARC’s Environmental Initiatives Fund.¬† A lot of time was spent shifting the plants to the valley.¬† They managed to plant about 400 selected wetland plants as well as clearing tradescantia.

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Planting Day No. 3

Another successful planting day was held on Sunday 1 August. Despite the wet weather, there was a good turnout, with 12 volunteers braving the elements (including 2 year old twins Troy and Kristin).
The main focus was planting an area of bush which has been destroyed by cattle. Nik and his friend Felix attacked the privet with the help of a chainsaw and Vigilant gel and also helped to transport plants into the valley.
Anita enjoyed clearing the creek and planting the banks. Conservation Volunteers will be working in the area from 16 – 20 August 2010 and we hope to complete stage 1 with their assistance.

Thanks to our volunteers Margaret S, Trish, Richard, Pam, Troy, Kristin, Felix, Margaret Y, Nik and Anita.

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Account of Planting Days

Day 1:¬† Glorious, sunny day.¬† However, due to the challenging terrain, the whole day was spent transferring plants down the steep slopes.¬† We were entertained by ‘Flash’, a gorgeous Jack Russell visiting from Christchurch who had 100 times more energy than we did and lived up to his name when it came to chasing and retrieving his tennis ball.

Jack Russell Terrier
Flash the Jack Russell Terrier 'helping out'

Day 2:  Barely able to get out of bed due to aching knees and sore thighs.  Approximately 100 plants were left on the slopes to transport down the hill and another 600 were waiting for us on the driveway.  Commenced planting at 9.30am.  The rain arrived at 10.00 am and became torrential by midday.  The slopes were slippery and quite treacherous so it was decided to access the valley from the other side.

Tree Planting Day
Tree Planting Day

Day 3:  Another day of planting.

Many thanks to our hard working team of volunteers:-

Trish and Arthur who made two trips to Te Hana Nurseries to collect the plants.
Rupert (and Flash), Niklas, James and Margaret
Margaret Scott, Jo Evans, Sue Gibbings and Carol Banks.

Our next planting day is scheduled for Sunday 1 August.

Hope to see you there.

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Planting Days in July and August

The first planting days are planned for Friday 16 July, Saturday 17 July and Sunday 1 August.

We will be concentrating on planting the valley/catchment area at the top of Mt Pleasant Drive.  If you or your friends/family would like to participate in any of these planting days we would be delighted to see you.

You will need to bring your own spade, gloves and sturdy footwear.  These dates are subject to weather conditions.  Please post a comment if you need any further information.

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Wai Care 2010 Award

In recognition of the streamside work to date, Wai Care recently awarded the society first prize in its “Native riparian restoration undertaken by a community group” category.

Wai Care 2010 Award