South-East Marine Protection Forum The next Forum Open to the Public meeting will be held in Port Chalmers at the Port Chalmers Town Hall on Thursday the 23rd July. Public session from 4pm-6pm. Come along and have your say. All members of the public are welcome to attend. Message from- Fergus SutherlandGreetings to those interested in the progress of the South East marine Protection Forum.
I am on the Forum as representative of Tourism and my local community (The Catlins). We are still in the stage of receiving your thoughts on marine protection. This stage will soon be finished however, and the Forum will be deciding on possible options for marine protection on our coast. This will be based on the feedback we have got from the community, our sector interests and science. Our next meeting is coming up at Port Chalmers and, as usual, we are inviting the public to come and hear about the Forum’s work and give us feedback. Below is information about this opportunity to meet us. Of course you are welcome to contact me personally at any time with your thoughts.
Regards
Fergus Sutherland
catlinw@ihug.co.nz
Member of the South East Marine Protection Forum
south-eastmarine.org.nz
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OLD POSSUMER’S ROUTE CURRENTLY UNABLE TO BE WALKED AS A LOOP- message from DOC This forest at Papatōwai is a wetland, so is prone to flooding in winter. Our rangers have been out doing track maintenance on the Old Possumer’s track, and unfortunately the significant rainfall over the last month has caused flooding that has made
the track impassable. We’ve erected some signs at both ends of the track with maps and an explanation. Luckily the flooding is right at the beach end which means the track is still able to be walked as a two hour return track. We're looking to find a long term solution, but until then don’t let it stop you coming out to enjoy this exceptional walk right in our backyard. Read below about how special this piece of forest is:
The Tahakopa Bay scenic reserve is unmilled, a wetland and is truly a forest which meets the sea. It holds the most southern beech trees in the world. They survive here but grow nowhere further south across the whole globe. It has remnants of old Māori moa hunting camps, hoards of bird life including very special threatened kākāriki and NZ falcons, as well as many interesting and rare plants - notably a tiny orchid called "little spotted moa" which lives high up on the old trees. Rumour has it that this piece of forest remained unmilled due to the cleverness of a local when the loggers came to view its potential for milling. He was hired to show them through the forest but instead of taking them to all the big trees in the dry spots he walked
them through the wettest parts of the wetland and to the scrawniest trees! The original Rimu, Rātā, Kahikatea and Tōtara still stand today. It’s no wonder it’s ranked as a nationally significant forest/wetland ecosystem.
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Annual Yellow-Eyed Penguin SymposiumThe Yellow-eyed penguin Consultative Group, supported by the Trust and the Department of Conservation, is holding its annual symposium on Saturday 1st August 2014 at the ground floor meeting room at University College (same place as last year).
The format will be the same as previous years, with report backs during the morning. The afternoon session's topic is still to be confirmed.
For further information and registrations, contact the Trust Office or Bruce McKinlay, secretary of the Yellow-eyed Penguin Consultative Group. You can also�download the registration form here.
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Catlins Beard Growing Competition Kicks OffIn keeping with a long Catlins tradition the Owaka 150th celebrations are holding a beard growing competition.
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The full details can be found at the link below. Judging will be Sat 9th January- Plenty of time to get a good growth-
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Owaka 150th CelebrationsThe programme for the official 150th celebrations for Owaka has been finalised. The celebrations will run from
Thursday the 7th January -Sunday the 10th 2016 .
The programme is packed with a impressive array of events, A waka unveiling ceremony, burying a time capsule, an art exhibition, photo displays, floral art displays, historic films, historic bus tours, a golf tournament, a fete day - with clothing, crafts, jewellery, wine, food, and music - a variety concert, an old-fashioned sports day, a beard-growing competition, a grand parade and an afternoon of live jazz music are expected to see the town's population swell next summer from January 7 to January 10th. Past and present families of Owaka are welcomed to put together family photo boards. See the full programme and links to accommodation for
this event can be sourced at www.catlins.org.nz it is recommended to book early for the busy summer season. To enquire about registration and fees please email.
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