Rangers Report - November 2014

local business volunteers at bream head

local business volunteers at bream head

It seems the warmer weather is bringing out not only the stunning native flowers and new growth but visitors to the reserve are increasing also as summer and the festive season fast approaches. I have been enjoying visiting and hosting several local schools and groups, showing and telling them all about the amazing habitat that has been restored and importantly how they can create their own habitat at home or school suitable for our wonderful native species. I also thoroughly enjoyed a day scouting around the reserve with Kevin Parker and BHCT trustee Ben Barr on an initial habitat suitability recognisance for our future translocations - this is the really good stuff folks!

Pest trapping numbers are still really low throughout the managed areas of the reserve but a few Stoats have been seen around some of the tracks so they may be on the move again as the pups leave the parents. Monthly results in the Full Rangers report for November 2014.

Back in October of this year BHCT secured funding (amongst excellent competition) from the Department of Conservation under its new Community Conservation Partnership Fund (CCPF) in order to support the trusts’ goal to translocate endemic species back into the Bream Head Scenic Reserve. The BHCT has sought the experienced and successful services of biologist Kevin Parker to develop a plan. Kevin’s in-depth knowledge, experience and enthusiasm was very evident from the start and his confidence in Bream Head’s suitability for species translocations was music to my ears. Kevin pointed out the amazing similarity of habitat between Bream Head and Hen/Taranga Island. I look forward to working with Kevin and with herpetologist Ben Barr to put together a robust document that will guide a successful translocation project going forward. These are exciting times!

Business Volunteer groups get green

Two businesses that helped out this month were Crombie-Lockwood Insurance Brokers Whangarei and BDO Accountants Whangarei. Approximately one dozen staff from Crombie Lockwood came armed with gloves, energy and some odd head apparel to pull out moth plant weeds in a large infestation area on the northern boundary of the reserve. Approximately 25 staff from the local accountant firm BDO joined me to hand pull and cut the very long grass smothering the newly planted Manuka at Urquhart Bay by the cattle yards and Pohutukawa behind the new post and rail fence. Thank you to both businesses for the great assistance in our project and I hope our new partnership will continue forward for mutual benefit.

Read the November 2014 Rangers Report (620kB pdf) for more details on this and other stories.