No Images? Click here Welcome to Behind the Scenes - DOC Fiordland's conservation newsletterIn this issue:
What's on? Fiordland events Great Fiordland Whio Race - new date* A quacking good family event to celebrate Whio Awareness Month in Fiordland. Will your duck sink… or swim to victory? Blue Rubber Duck Race: When: Saturday 29 April, 10:30am - 1.00pm Where: Old Pony Club, Upukerora River, Te Anau * New date: due to a toxic algae bloom in Upukerora - see Advocate South article for details Tamatea - Art and Conservation in Dusky Sound Explore one of this country’s most precious, remote areas through the eyes of New Zealand artists. The exhibition features more than 50 original works by some of New Zealand’s most renowned artists and emerging talent. When: March/ April 2017 Where: Te Hikoi Southern Journey, Riverton Find out more about the exhibition: doc.govt.nz/tamatea Tamatea - museum talk Te Hikoi Museum will host principle ranger Lindsay Wilson who will give an insight into the biodiversity work that he leads in Fiordland National Park, including Dusky Sound. Second speaker, Southland Museum and Art Gallery art director Ari Edgecombe will focus on the artists' work that makes up the Tamatea exhibition. When: Sunday, 26 March 2017 Cost: $12 (includes refreshments) Where: Te Hikoi Southern Journey, Riverton To book: Phone (03) 2348260 Breakfast with the birds Hear about takahē conservation work and spend time with these iconic birds, including the new chick 'Ehara'. Other resident birds include, kākā, kākāriki, ducks, and ruru. Come along for this unique opportunity to meet some of New Zealand's rarest birds. When: Everyday (including weekends) 9:30am - 10:30am (March) Where: Meet by the takahē enclosure at Punanga Manu o Te Anau (Te Anau Bird Sanctuary) The latest in Fiordland conservation Making Great Island great again In a pioneering venture we've partnered with conservation technology company, Goodnature to deploy a network of 200 self-setting stoat traps on Great Island situated in Chalky Inlet. The self-resetting nature of the traps means they can kill up to 24 times before needing to be reset, significantly reducing the labour required to maintain and check the network. The other major benefit of the A24 traps donated by Goodnature is their portability. If the project is successful, it could have far-reaching implications for future island predator eradications. The project aims to remove stoats from Great Island and minimise future reinvasions. As shown by the photos the initial results are encouraging. Remarkable recovery of kākā population Monitoring in the mid 2000s highlighted an extreme imbalance the population with males outnumbering females six to one. Female kākā and chicks are more vulnerable to possum and stoat attacks as they nested in tree cavities. DOC scientist, Terry Greene, said a new population sample taken in December last year has revealed a four-fold increase in the proportion of female kākā and 20 times as many juveniles. Mr Greene said the rebound was 'phenomenal' and showed a major programme of pest control in the Waitutu Forest was working. Other forest birds such as robin and kākāriki have also benefitted from the pest control programme which included localised trapping and poisoning for stoats and possums and three treatments of aerially-applied 1080. New regulations for boats visiting Fiordland Environment Southland are in the process of accepting a plan to reduce the risk of marine pests being introduced to Fiordland waters on the hulls of visiting boats. The Fiordland Marine Regional Pathway Management Plan incorporates rules for clean vessels, clean gear and residual seawater which will apply to vessels of all sizes entering the area. It includes a Fiordland Clean Vessel Pass which all vessel owners/operators will have to apply for before they come to the fiords, so they are aware of the risks and the ways to minimise them. Get involved Whio Awareness Month 2017 This March we're celebrating the whio - New Zealand's iconic blue duck. These unique birds are some of the only ducks in the world to live in fast flowing streams. Their presence is a great indicator of healthy river eco-systems. Fiordland is lucky enough to have a number rivers that are home to whio, but with less than 3000 left in New Zealand, we've got to do our best to keep them around!
How conservation friendly is your cat? Cats are cute and cuddly but they are also incredibly good hunters. They can do a lot of damage to our native species, hunting birds, skinks and insects. Take a quiz to find out how conservation friendly your cat is and read tips for improving your score. Track your cat to help protect wildlife in your neighbourhood and earn a Kiwi Guardians medal. Newsletter feedback We'd like to know what you think of the Behind the Scenes newsletter and how we can make it even better. |