Nor'West News: July 02, 2020

NOR’WEST NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Thursday July 2 2020 7
News
Willow’s dedication to birdlife
WATCHING wetland birds on
a crisp Saturday morning is a
rewarding way to start the day
for 10-year-old Willow.
She is the Styx Living Laboratory
Trust’s youngest volunteer
and one of about a dozen people
who meet on the first Saturday
of each month to record bird
numbers and their species.
Willow has been volunteering
for the group for the past four
years, along with her parents,
and said it was a great way to
DEDICATION:
learn about the environment.
Ten-year-old Willow
“I enjoy being outside and
is the youngest
looking at the birds. I also enjoy
volunteer at the Styx
getting a quiz from Chris [another
volunteer] on the tree names
Living Laboratory
Trust and loves
to protect the
every time I go. I feel good about
environment.
helping.”
PHOTO: NEWSLINE ​
She is the only child in the
group, but the atmosphere is very
friendly and everyone is willing some are now taller than her,” monthly basis, and the trust organises
regular forest restoration the council and also given to the
collected by volunteers is used by
to share their knowledge about she said.
wildlife and native plants with “Even though she hates getting planting days in the area.
eBird New Zealand Bird Atlas.
her.
up early on a Saturday morning, The Styx River is home to “We’ve been monitoring birds
Her mum, Jess, said Willow once she gets to the bird monitoring
Willow enjoys watching scaup, herons, cormorants, we’ve been able to detect new
paradise shelduck, New Zealand regularly for about six years, so
has been interested in the environment
and animals since she and learning how the environment
changes. She doesn’t talk other species.
of little pied cormorants at the Styx
pukeko, and pied stilts among things happening, such as a colony
was a toddler.
“We took her along to Summer much but soaks up all the information
that the other volunteers greater connection with the local Children from Marshland
Jess said they all gained a Mill Conservation Reserve.”
in the Styx [an annual public
event organised by the trust] share with her.”
area as a result of volunteering. School and Ouruhia School and
and she liked the idea of helping Along with bird monitoring, The city council biodiversity volunteers from Conservation
in some way. She has been back trust volunteers carry out water team leader Antony Shadbolt, Volunteers NZ and corporate
each year, taking part in all the quality monitoring on the Styx who works closely with the Styx groups often help out with the
activities available, collecting River catchment, a spring-fed Living Laboratory Trust, said planting days in an area off
donations and planting trees – ecosystem in Harewood, on a the bird monitoring information Marshland Rd.
Edgeware
pool plans
progress
FUNDRAISING FOR the
Edgeware pool is set to continue
following its recognition as a
community asset.
St Albans Pool Group held
its annual general meeting last
Wednesday with guest speaker
Duane Major backing the campaign.
Mr Major previously fought
for the construction of the West
Spreydon School Community
Pool and helped saved Abel Tasman’s
Arawoa Beach.
The pool group spent the last
year successfully completing a
feasibility study to determine
whether the pool would be an asset
to the community.
They also held monthly events
such as pub quizzes and raffles to
pay for the $43,000 required for
the pool’s resource consents.
Said chairperson Paul Somerville:
“Duane is passionate about
thriving communities. The Edgeware
pool would be a tremendous
asset to the wellbeing of St Albans
and surrounding suburbs.’’
After the city council said they
would not contribute money to
the project, they later said $1.25m
of funding would go towards its
rebuild with the remaining $5
million costs to be raised.
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