Read the latest news from DOC in Fiordland.

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Murchison Mountains - credit James Reardon

Welcome to the new online version of Behind the Scenes!

In this issue:

  • What's on!? Fiordland events happening soon
  • Kākāpō: Exciting developments
  • Great Walks report: Summer Season
  • Keeping cheeky kea out of stoat traps
  • Movies at the Visitor Centre
  • Drones in our National Park
  • What do you think?
 

What's on!? Fiordland events

 
Whio cartoon

The great Fiordland whio race

A quacking good family event to celebrate Whio Awareness Month in Fiordland. Will your duck sink... or swim to victory?  Check out the whio craft station; treasure hunt; face painting; BBQ and coffee cart; and meet Oska the DOC species dog.

When: Entries from 10:30 am, race starts 11 am, Saturday 19 March
Where: Old Pony Club, Upukerora River, Te Anau
Cost: $2 donation per entry

 

Experience Lake Orbell

This is your chance to visit the Takahē Special Area in the Murchison Mountains.  DOC Rangers from the Takahē Recovery Team will take you on a guided walk and talk about their work.  It is an opportunity to search for takahē in their wild habitat, following the footsteps of Dr Orbell to where takahē were rediscovered in 1948.

When: Saturday 30 April, 7:45am - 5:45pm. Booking essential (book online, or contact the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre).
Where: Murchison Mountains, meet at the Real Journeys wharf, Te Anau
Cost: $80

Lake Orbell - DOC website image
 
 

The latest in Fiordland Conservation

 
Kakapo

Kākāpō are BOOMING

For the first time during the 26-year recovery programme, kākāpō chicks have hatched on Fiordland's Anchor Island in Dusky Sound!  It's a bumper breeding season on both Anchor and Codfish Island/Whenua Hou, near Stewart Island - prompted by a heavy mast season and therefore loads of available kai.  A great boost for this unique night parrot population, which prior to this breeding season numbered only 125 birds.

Only a few original birds were rescued from the brink of extinction, so genetic diversity is as important as the numbers.  And good news on that front too - a special chick hatched to Kuia, is one of only four birds carrying the unique genes of the last remaining Fiordland kākāpō, Richard Henry, who died in 2010.

Get the latest kākāpō news from Sirocco, the Spokesbird for Conservation, on Facebook and Twitter or look at the Kākāpō Recovery website.

 

Great numbers on Great Walks

If you stayed at one of DOC's Great Walk Huts in Fiordland this summer - the Kepler, the Routeburn or the Milford Tracks, you will be one of an estimated 65,000 people to have done so.

Hard working resident rangers at each hut work 8 days on and have 6 days off. They manage the facilities and amenities, deliver conservation messages about fauna and flora, ensure trampers understand safety information and do a variety of track and hut maintenance tasks. The Iris Burn Ranger, Robbie Reid is into his 7th season on the Kepler Track (25th year as a hut ranger). He loves the valley and has no desire to move to any other hut in the Fiordland National Park. He has even started his own blog about the life of a hut ranger

Ranger Clive Rule was also interviewed on Radio NZ, and filmed by TV1 recently. Clive has been organising the legendary "Highland Games" Christmas celebrations on the Routeburn Track for almost 25 years! 

Thanks to all the rangers, who met and hosted the record high numbers tramping on Fiordland's Great Walks this year.

 
Robbie Reid - Iris Burn Ranger

Above: Ranger Robbie Reid. 
Photo: K. Moyle.

Below: Ranger Clive Rule. 
Photo: Pania Dalley.

Clive Rule - photo credit P. Dalley
 

Resupply of Great Walk Huts

The mid-season resupply took place in February, with items such as gas, cleaning products and toilet paper are flown to huts. This gives the resident hut rangers an opportunity to restock their own personal supply of non-perishable food and any other items to last them the rest of the season. 

The week of resupply is a mammoth logistical undertaking. 
It involves helicopters and flight plans, trucks and trailers loaded to the gunnels, and people knowing exactly where they need to be during this operation. The flight bags are loaded onto a trailer and taken to an accessible flying point nearest the huts.  It's during this time that the sewage is pumped into large cans each weighing about 750kg! The helicopter can take one can at a time which is often flown out on a back flight after dropping off supplies.

 
Kepler Resupply

Helicopter restocking Luxmore Hut
Photo: Pania Dalley.

 

Out-crafting the curious kea

Kea image

 

DOC rangers often have to think outside the box.  Especially so when dealing with inquisitive keas tampering with the stoat trapping network in the Murchison Mountains.

Poking in sticks and jumping on trap boxes to set them off is one thing, but cheeky resident kea are dangerously doing everything they can to get into the trap boxes!  Eating through the wood around the nails and prizing off the lids sadly lead to the death of 7 young kea last year.  In partnership with the Kea Conservation Trust, DOC have now 'kea proofed' the 700 boxed stoat traps in the area.

Read the full media release.

 

Information board

 

Movies at the Visitor Centre 

Rainy day? Come to the movies at the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre. There are a range of short movies available on request, including films by students from the Otago University Science and Communication programme. Have a sneak peak of the "Pest Free?" trailer, then come and watch the whole film for insight into DOC's work in Fiordland.

 

Remotely piloted aircraft systems (drones)

Drones have become a hot topic for the Department in recent times as they have many implications for land owners and managers.

Under CAA regulations implemented last July, anyone flying a drone must have permission from the land owner. As drones become more readily available to the general public this means increased workload for agencies such as DOC, local councils and authorities such as NZTA. The Fiordland Office is working with National Office to implement a policy which will help manage effects on public conservation land in the long term.

On the flip side, technology advances mean that drones can and are being used in conservation work as they provide easy access to remote areas to monitor things like species populations and weeds. Watch this space for more about that... 

stock drone image

This season, the Fiordland DOC Office prohibited the use of drones on the Great Walks tracks to protect the enjoyment and remote experience of all users.  

Drones can be used in some locations with permission.

 

So... What do you think? 

We have switched to an online newsletter style for Behind the Scenes. Shorter, but more frequent, we can hopefully keep you more up to date as well as linking you to extra information on the topics covered.  We still plan to take you on a journey to discover the stories, projects, amazing people and work that lies behind Fiordland's spectacular scenery.

Let us know what you think of the change, and what we can do to make this newsletter even better and more interesting for you. Email us at behindthescenes@doc.govt.nz.

Many thanks,
The Behind the Scenes Team

 
DOC team with kakapo chick

rockwren
Ranger Catherine at Te Anau Bird Sanctuary