gills reserve - Forest and Bird

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FROM THE CHAIR OUTGOING CHAIRMAN’S REPORT, MAY 2011 (ABRIDGED) North Shore branch had another outstanding year, being the local “Voice for Nature” and fighting for conservation on a number of fronts. Our monthly meetings average 50 attendees. Among the many who make our meetings a success, Karen Wealleans ensures a high standard of speakers, Margi Keys greets arrivals, and Lynette Jolicoeur manages the supper roster. Habitat is our link to the community and is now publicly available on the website. It has been wonderfully edited by Victor Meyer for the past six years. Linda Johnson coordinates paper distribution and new volunteer Mona-Lynn Courteau ensures electronic distribution. In May 2010, we had 715 members, up 20 from 2009 due to the street canvassing programme Face to Face. Helene Willis, our membership coordinator, contacts all new members with a greeting and questionnaire designed to alert us to special talents. Kiwi Conservation Club membership is steady at 336 and is run by a dedicated group of seven: Christine Ball, Muriel Fanselow, Ute Friedrich, Brian Gannon, Margi Keys, Jocelyn Sanders and Rhonda Woodruff. KCC participated in branch planting days, visited Motuihe Island and Auckland Zoo, and had a winter camp for three nights between Horopito and National Park. They observed birds on the Long Bay cliff top and at Chelsea Heritage Park They learned about the fossil forest between Milford and Takapuna from geologist Rodney Hutchinson. In March 2010, Christine, Ute and Margi attended the I would like to aknowledge all the help and support I've had during my three-year tenure Claire Stevens and Jim Lewis annual coordinators’ training weekend in Whakapapa Village. For many years Jim Lewis, a former chair of the branch, monitored planning decisions and development proposals threatening the natural features, flora and fauna of the Shore. The Resource Management Act (RMA) provides a mechanism to challenge inappropriate developments and Jim was the branch champion in this work. His successor, Peter Hassell, has begun the arduous work of making submissions to the new council. Liz Anstey organises meeting notices in the North Shore Times and files stories on our conservation work with both the NST and the Herald. She is also our new webmaster. Ray Simpson succeeded Lauren Power in the position of treasurer. Jocelyn Sanders, in addition to her KCC involvement, has been branch secretary for about 20 years and is the rock of the branch. Our trips were well attended. Committee members share the organisation and leading of events which feature bush walks, bird watching, overnight stays on Tiritiri Matangi and conservation work at Tuff and other locations like Motuora Island. The restoration of Tuff Crater Reserve is our flagship project, superbly directed by Richard Hursthouse and Anne Denny. Our members put in over 1,200 volunteer hours per year. This project has seen numerous achievements: phoenix palms on the reserve have been eliminated, pampas grass is now mostly controlled, 3,000 native plants have been put in, and a track started on the northern half of the reserve. The spraying of weeds is ongoing, by both contractors and volunteers, and pest control has begun with volunteers maintaining bait stations, traps, and 20 monitoring tunnels that record predator footprints. Three signs designed by Kate Hursthouse have been installed, and Interntional Print fully sponsored the design and printing of 5,000 brochures. Sarah Noble ensures the steady stream of funding our Tuff project requires. Funding over the last year has come from F&B Central Branch $2,000; The Coastal Enhancement Fund $14,609; Birkenhead Northcote Community Board $36,000; DoC $9,500; and ARC $3,150. Our own branch contributed $2,450 from the sale of calendars and diaries. Margaret Breakspear had a tremendous first year in this job, selling 700 calendars and 165 diaries, and raising $4,000. During my three-year tenure as Branch chair I have been lucky to be able to count on the support of all the committee members, without whom little progress would have been made. I gratefully acknowledge the support and encouragement of the branch’s membership and particularly recognise those named above. The future of the branch looks bright indeed. – Alan Emmerson Chairman's Report – Making a Difference My sincere thanks goes to outgoing treasurer Lauren Power and chairman Alan Emmerson. They have worked for our Branch with focus and dedication. As a result I have inherited a well-run branch, a keen committee and an exciting key restoration project. The Branch now hosts vibrant, well-attended monthly meetings, regular weekend trips, an active KCC section, and our membership is growing. Now, however, is no time for complacency. While we must have an eye on the national and global issues, I believe that North Shore Forest & Bird should have a strong focus on our patch. It faces significant environmental issues – the degradation of our harbour by pollution and erosion; weeds, pests, and kauri die back in our bush; development eroding bush and green space. The national executive of Forest & Bird has revised its strategic plan to cover five broad conservation goals: securing nature beyond protected areas; “The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention.” – John Burroughs, US conservation pioneer supporting and expanding protected areas; conservation in urban areas; climate change and an ecologically sustainable economy. Our challenge is to put these goals into action locally. We need your help to make a difference. We acknowledge the passing of two mighty totara of conservation. Professor John Morton passed away in March. Founding professor of zoology at the University of Auckland, Prof Morton was a highly respected scientist whose unique teaching style touched the lives of many. His 1969 election to the Royal Society of New Zealand was a measure of his scientific standing. He was an accomplished author and illustrator, who created many beautiful drawings of plants and creatures. He was a past executive member of Forest & Bird who helped save Whirinaki and the West Coast beech forests. Sadly, his wife Pat survived him by only two weeks. Pat was the driver behind Centennial Park Bush Society for 25 years from 1977. She led a team of volunteers who helped transform this area of “just scrub” into a fabulous community asset. Do come to our election debate on Monday September 5th. We have invited members of the National, Labour, Green, NZ First and Maori parties to help inform your vote this election year. We will be challenging them to tell us how they will stop the environmental degradation of NZ and take action on climate change. The time for action is now. – Richard Hursthouse
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS! Welcome to these new members, and thank you to those listed who have renewed their sub. We hope to see you soon at one of our branch activities. Christina, Joel and Kyle Anderson, Diana Bakkerus, Paul Barton, Michael Bell, Thomas, Fiona and Zach Bendall, Colin and Vivienne Bishop, Linda Blincko, Matt Bowden, Christ Bonham, Stephanie Bristol, Andrew Brookie, John Brown, Nikola Byrne, Alison and Howard Buxton, Wendy Cain, Frances Cannon, V F Carlisle, Joanna Crawford, Greg Dearsly, Dorothy 25 Hours on Matiu/Somes Island Every March, Kiwi Conservation Club coordinators from all over NZ are invited to a training weekend. It’s an invaluable opportunity to learn new and effective ways of presenting conservation messages to youngsters, and to link in with other coordinators plus staff at Head Office. Forest & Bird branches support their KCC coordinators by reimbursing travel costs; Head Office pays for accommodation and food. Last year three of us drove to Mt Ruapehu from North Shore. In 2011, I flew to Wellington. Matiu Island, in Wellington Harbour, was named by Kupe, after one of his daughters. Maori occupied the island for generations. By 1839, it had become Somes Island after Joseph Somes, deputy governor (and financier) of the New Zealand Company. In 1997, the NZ Geographic Board assigned the official bilingual name of Matiu/Somes Island. From the early 1870s until 1920, the 24.8 hectare island was used as a human quarantine station. Immigrant ships carrying sick passengers with infectious diseases had to fly a yellow quarantine flag and pass the sick over. Many died and were buried on the island. Matiu/Somes also served as an animal quarantine station for more than 100 years, beginning in the early 1880s. Dogs, cattle, sheep, red deer, llama and other livestock were kept until given a clean bill of health. Visitors to the island can now inspect the empty buildings. ‘Enemy alien internees’ were Italian and German migrants and their NZ-born children, who were considered a security threat to NZ in war time. They had to live on the island during both world wars. Relics of war include gun emplacements built in 1942, but never used. The Wrens operated a degaussing unit, demagnetising ships’ hulls so they would not be blown up by mines placed in the harbour by the Russians. Numerous groups, including Forest & Bird’s Lower Hutt branch, have revegetated the island, planting taupata, ngaio, hebe species, tauhinu (cottonwood) and harakeke, since 1981. The Cook Strait weta. Debenham, Matthew Diesch, Karen Donald, Diana Douglas, Kylie Ann Dunlop, Janice Dunn, Regina Dunn, Jinni Easterday, Kim Marie Evans, Roly Ferkins, Raewyn Ferkins, Brenda Finer, Belvia Frasmus, Andrew Fry, Bill and Noeline Gibson, Dhiyaa Habib, Emma Hawcridge, Samantha Heazlewood, Carol Hosking, Elizabeth House, Katherine Instrall, Lindie Jacobs, Shirley Jukic, Chris Kelly, Hubert Korybut-Woroniecki, Norlin Kuluka, Sally Laidlaw, H.A Lange, Elizabeth Lorimer, Israel Machado-Macdonald, Steven Matthews, Daniel McSweeney, Bryan and Marion Merriman, Mrs A Minaar, Philip Moll, Emily Molloy, B.A Morris, Taianhalo Nati, Leigh Paine, Belinda Parsons, Lieuarne Ponoho, Davor Popaditch, Isobel Pope, Sharon Race, Judith Robins, Natasha Rmandic, Sally Rowan, Carol Russell, Gillian Ross, Maki Sakamato, Ray Sly, Barbara Smith, Haddon Smith, Michelle Smith, Jennifer Sol, Joanne Stanford, Jo Steffen, Vicky Swanson, Kathryn Tarrant, Angela and Marc Tinsel, Merissa Rachel Walker, Christina Webb, Tony White, Teresa M Williams, Keith Wilson. restored forest now forms a canopy up to 5m high in places. The island was opened to the public in 1995. It was returned to iwi in 2008 but is still administered by DoC. East by West Ferries run several trips each day. Everyone who visits Matiu/Somes Island must first go to the Whare Kiore. With its doors shut, we were welcomed and given an introduction to the island’s history and rules. A serious self-check exercise of our bags and footwear followed. We had to search every pocket for rats, mice, seeds and even ants. Nobody wants an invasion of Argentine ants like up north. Ann Graeme, who has been involved with KCC since the beginning, and KCC officer Jenny Lynch are our leaders. On this trip we were accompanied by a number of Wellington KCC coordinators, plus Tim Galloway, illustrator of the much-loved KCC magazine Wild Things. We hunted for bugs. A handful of leaf litter from beneath an old macrocarpa revealed vastly different wildlife from beneath native tree species. The emphasis was on putting the creatures into broad categories: beetles; insects without wings (springtails); arachnids (spiders); arthropods (millipedes and centipedes). KCC coordinators become like children on bug hunts. On the circuit track, skinks and kakariki were everywhere, and it didn’t take long to spot a tuatara (Brothers Island species). Pohutukawa have been poisoned (now deemed inappropriate in that location) to make way for other species which would once have flourished on the island. At dusk we split into small groups to search for korora (little blue penguin), tuatara and Cook Strait giant weta. The sound of korora filled the night. Their burrows are all over the island. Our sharing of ideas and feedback on the new design of the KCC mag was followed by some new ecological games. One of the most effective ways of making a conservationist is by having fun in the wild, while at the same time contributing to its enhancement in some way. – Margi Keys PROVERB Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, no - na te ngahere. Ko te manu e kai ana i te ma - tauranga, no - na te ao. The bird that feeds on the miro berry has the forest. The bird that feeds on knowledge has access to the world. Supplied by Christine Ball
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