Welcome to the June/July issue of our newsletter. No images? Click here "There are decades where nothing and happens; and there are weeks where decades happen" V LeninKia ora koutou, Well done! New Zealand has led the world in removing the main vectors for COVID-19 transmission. Of course, the lockdown period has come with a significant economic cost we are only just beginning to comprehend and which will be with us for years to come. Fortunately, the Government is investing money to stimulate the economy and create jobs. In the recent budget, DOC was allocated a record $1.1 billion dollars to work with partner organisations to create 6,000 jobs in nature-based employment over the next four years, with the first iwi, local government and community employment partnerships starting work by 1 July. If managed well, this investment will significantly enhance our natural environment and provide opportunities for meaningful work. Watch this space! As we return to our mahi it is important not to rush back to the old normal, but to embrace the challenges that our new normal has given us, and to stay safe. If you are unsure about COVID-19 Health and Safety requirements, please check the Government website (https://covid19.govt.nz/), and contact me with questions. This photo of the Otago Peninsular was taken from Sandymount a couple of weeks ago under Alert Level 3 during a day walk with my family. It reminds me of how lucky I am to live in Dunedin. Thank you to those who sent me stories and photos of their experiences under lockdown, a truly unique time. Kā mihi nui Daniel Jephson Volunteer Projects Facilitator (DCC/DOC) daniel.jephson@dcc.govt.nz
Lockdown Stories White Heron/Kōtuku Kerry James Goodhew took this photo of a White Heron/Kōtuku in his Dunedin backyard only 2.5 km from the Octagon on 20th April. Kerry says, "appearance of the Kotuku is of major "messenger" significance to tangata whenua!"
Wellers Rock Beach On Emma McCoy's daily walks along Wellers Rock Beach under lockdown she picked up any rubbish found. This is what Emma collected in less than a week!
Notices
National Volunteer Week #NVW2020From June 21-27 2020 we celebrate National Volunteer Week 2020. National Volunteer Week celebrates the collective contribution of the 1.2 million volunteers who enrich Aotearoa New Zealand. This year's theme is Te Hua o te Mahi Tahi I The benefit of working together. There is a corresponding term in biology known as synergy, where interaction produces an effect greater than the sum of the individual effects. Anyone who has spent time working with others know just how much can be achieved through collaboration and cooperation. National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to reach out and connect with your local community group, and to celebrate the achievements you have made. https://nationalvolunteerweek.nz/
Wild Dunedin Festival 2020 One month out from our scheduled 2020 NZ Festival of Nature the country went into lockdown. The Wild Dunedin team managed to create in its place an online publication YOUR WILD BUBBLE https://hail.to/wild-dunedin/publication/K5iuzrG to encourage people in isolation to look more closely at their backyard wildlife and plants. 46 local businesses, organisations, community groups and individuals contributed to the content. The Toyota Kiwi Guardians Bug Motel Competition organised by Katrina Thompson from DOC and Anna Campbell from Cooke Howlison allowed 50 local children to earn a Wild Dunedin medal for their efforts in creating innovative bug motels for their backyards. The programme for the 2020 Festival will be rolled out in 2021 from April 16-22, with a focus on Rewilding Dunedin. In the meantime watch out for our Wild Trails – suggested walks to encourage people to experience our wild places within the wider Dunedin City boundary, our favourite photographers work, and plant of the month from Ribbonwood Nursery. Toyota Kiwi Guardians Activity Medals Toyota Kiwi Guardians is an activity programme for kids to learn about nature, earn cool rewards and go on epic family adventures. Help us create future guardians of New Zealand from the safety of your own backyards! Check out some of these activities you can do on the Toyota Kiwi Guardians website.
Seabird Behaviour Programme - now online!
iNaturalistPull out the iNaturalist app, or your camera, and focus on nature. Share your observations to iNaturalist via the app or iNaturalist.NZ website. Join the project to get all the project news or follow iNaturalistNZ on Twitter or Facebook. If you’re on social media, share your favourite new iNat NZ observations with the hashtags #StayiNatHome and @iNaturalistNZ.
Birds New ZealandNZ Bird Atlas Join us in Atlasing from the backyard! The NZ Bird Atlas is Birds NZ's nationwide citizen science bird survey over 5 years, which will map the occurrence of bird species across the entire country. This map will help guide conservation management and habitat restoration for decades to come. Watching birds brings us together, even if we're birding on our own. We will all be continuing to Atlas from the safety of our homes and backyards. Is this still of value we hear you ask? Of course! Creating daily checklists of the birds that visit your backyard will still help provide valuable data to the Atlas, just as it did from the beginning. You can submit as many observations as you like, day and/or night! Every Friday at 1pm (starting 3rd April) we'll be hosting live webinars to go through eBird and the Atlas and answer your questions. We'll share more information on this soon. Visit the Bird Atlas website for more information. Download the eBird app or visit the eBird website to start submitting completed checklists today.
Volunteer Activities Quarantine Island/ Kamau Taurua General public · Event: Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua Community Open Day · Date: Saturday, or Sunday with possible overnight stay option (usually last weekend of the month but can vary) · Venue: Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua · Cost: Varies, normally $15pp for the boat and $7.50 per child return, but subsidies apply for volunteers helping with particular projects (see our website). Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua is a special place in the heart of Otago Harbour, with a fascinating ecology and history. On our open days, we organise charter boat transport from Back Beach, Port Chalmers (and the Portobello side if needed). You are welcome to come over to relax and explore the island, and/or join us in our conservation work. We continue to focus on tree planting and weed control, releasing seedlings already planted, and even potting up of seedlings. We are gradually restoring native bush on the Island, to foster biodiversity of birds, insects and lizards. We’re doing predator control to support this, too. Bring a packed lunch, or food to share in a potluck lunch with Community members (depending upon COVID-19 restrictions at the time, this may not apply) clothes for warm or cold, and sturdy footwear. We'll provide Fairtrade tea and coffee (this may not apply due to COVID-19 restrictions). The charter boat will pick up at around 9.30am from Back Beach, leaving the island at around 3.30pm. Schools or other groups Come to Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua for a day, or better still an overnight or 2-3 day stay, school 'camp', 'retreat' or 'holiday' to ensure plenty of time to explore aspects of the Island, including:
Contact Information about the island, the charter boat transport, and staying in the Lodge can be seen on our website quarantineisland.org.nz If you'd like to become a regular volunteer you can add your name and email to subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter about opportunities, see our website quarantineisland.org.nz or you can join our Facebook Public Group Quarantine Island Kamau Taurua Community, or contact the island Keeper on 03-478-0874 or email quarantineisland@gmail.com Catlins Conservation TripJoin DOC and Forest and Bird for a mid-winter weekend of conservation in the Catlins. This volunteer trip will allow you to explore reserves that are not open to the public and get great local insight about some special places and species. Te Rere is an important habitat for yellow-eyed penguins/ hoiho. In the late 1990’s a fire swept through the reserve. We’ll join the local branch of Forest and Bird and support them in their efforts to restore the native forest. Then we’ll head to Otanomomo where kahikatea, rimu and matai giants emerge from the canopy of this rare forest remnant. We’ll pitch in with some serious weed control – there’s broom, gorse and Chilean flame creeper to remove. When 21 – 23 August 2020 WhoAnyone aged 18 or over, who’s keen to spend a weekend with a group and do some work in the outdoors. ContactDaniel Jephson
Save The Otago Peninsular (STOP) Working Bees Restart It was great during the last couple of months to see more people become familiar with the Hereweka Harbour Cone Block (managed by the Hereweka Harbour Cone Trust) and the Broad Bay Slip Site. Some walked to the top of Harbour Cone for the first time and many others took the signposted “Future Forest Walk” (through the first gate off the bottom of the Bacon St Track) and were astonished by the extensive native revegetation project being undertaken by STOP volunteers since 2014 in the Smiths Creek Catchment. Save The Otago Peninsula (STOP) Inc Soc has permission to restart their regular volunteer working bees on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. (See the special conditions below.) During winter, the start time will move to 10am. Two to three and a half hours duration. Because of Lockdown we are behind on this year’s programme and seek as many new volunteers as possible. (On Tuesday and Sunday meet at the far end of Bacon St in Turnbulls Bay.) Activities include planting and maintenance of seedlings, weed control and track maintenance. Fitness required – you need to be able to walk across an uneven paddock. Tasks tailored to your level. If you can garden then you can assist. Transport subsidy - for students and pensioners (bus or car). Dogs welcome - in the fenced area. Special conditions to keep everyone safe from COVID-19: - Gloves and all tools can be provided but they must only be used by one person and must be washed/disinfected after use or kept by that person for the duration. Most people wear their own gardening gloves already. - Social distancing of 2 metres will be observed with groups not exceeding ten in any one area. - From now on, sorry, but you need to bring your own morning tea!!! - Contact details will continue to be collected – but for contact tracing if needed, as well as safety. - Please, don’t come if you are at all unwell For more information contact Lala: stopincsoc@gmail.com , or Mobile (text only) 027 8756 020
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