We’re back working in the Ashburton River/Hakatere.
We know the river is a significant area for braided river birds, particularly the threatened black-billed gull (tarāpuka). We’ve been working closely with Environment Canterbury’s rivers and biodiversity teams to provide enhanced habitat for bird nesting ahead of the breeding season - away from the project area and ahead of construction starting.
Three existing, raised gravel islands in the river around the SH1 bridge have been identified as suitable habitat for nesting birds. We’ll be clearing the islands of vegetation and debris, as the birds need bare gravel islands for nesting. The removal of vegetation also removes any potential habitat for predators.
Work is starting downstream of the bridge before moving to upstream of the bridge. You might see excavators and off-road dump trucks removing material as we clear the islands.
Work will take place Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm, from 4 August through to late August, subject to weather conditions.
For safety reasons, access to the river and along tracks may be restricted in areas where we’re working with machinery (on the Tinwald side of the river while we work on the islands downstream of the bridge and the Ashburton side of the river while we work upstream of the bridge). Access may change as we progress or move location so, please look out for signage at river access points.
Once vegetation has been cleared, we’ll assess the need for further work, such as diversion of the river flow around the islands to prevent predator access during nesting season.
Lizards
We’ve also got plans for looking after local lizards in the project area. We’ve surveyed the area to help us figure out how many lizards there are. Last month we applied for the necessary wildlife permit and have developed a Lizard Management Plan for DOC approval which includes how we intend to rehome the lizards, monitoring and pest control.
Archaeological authority
We have applied for and been granted archaeological authority for the project. This legal permit ensures the protection of cultural and heritage sites during construction and requires information on how we’ll manage any potential archaeological finds. We have a project archaeologist who would go on-site, assess the find and decide on what action should be taken.
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