po box 9311

tauranga | new zealand 3142

07 578 3083

contact us

work days

Sunday | 22 January 2012
Saturday - Sunday | 29 & 30 January

Meet: 9am at the Otanewainuku shelter, finish approx. 2pm.
Info and to register: Contact Nigel Veale on 574 9759 or email aki@eol.co.nz
Bring: Small pack with food, drink, warm clothes, sturdy footwear and raincoat. 

Sunday | 22 January 2012
Bait Station Operation - Kokako breeding support

The purpose of the workday is to remove any uneaten bait from bait stations - we carried out a 3rd round bait top up in the area where most of the Kokako have taken up residency, this was to help keep predator numbers at low levels for longer during the bird breeding season.

We will work in groups of two or possibly three if enough people are available. Feratox (cyanide ) is a controlled Toxin so one person in each group must hold a "Controlled Substance Licence". From audit in past week there should only be 2 or 3 kgs of bait to carry of each line. On average I expect it will take about 2 to 3 hours per loop.

Saturday and Sunday | 29 & 30 January
Rat Monitoring

This weekend is planned for Rat Monitoring but if Bait Removal hasn't been completed from 22 January we will continue with removal after we have carried out rat monitoring.

This follow up rat monitoring will provide a good indication of the rate at which rat numbers build up at Otanewainuku after a very successful Bait Station Operation and enable us to fine tune future operations.

Rat Monitoring doesn't involve trapping and there is no physical touching of animals. It's quite fun to check monitoring cards and see what creatures, like weta have passed through monitoring tunnels during the night. We place monitoring cards into tunnels on five existing monitoring lines and bait with peanut butter. The next day cards are collected and checked.

This is a two day operation but if you can only make one day it would still be great to have you help out. We will work in pairs with one in each group who has done it before. It generally takes about two hours for each group to do a line. Lines are a kilometre long and while you don't have to be super fit, some general fitness is preferred.

Monitoring needs to be carried out during fine weather (rats stay home when it's wet). If this weekend is wet rat monitoring will be carried out on 5-6 February 2012.

For planning purposes It would be preferable to know before hand who will be able to help out with workdays, if at the last minute you find you can help out after all please ring as I'm sure we can use an extra keen person or two.

Contact: For further information or to register your interest in helping out please contact Nigel Veale on 574 9759 or email aki@eol.co.nz

The bait station operation has gone very well and most of the monitoring was completed in November, possums and rats are at very low levels and we have obtained the best result ever at Otanewainuku. With Possums at 1.7% and rats 5% we are assured of not only having a great bird breeding season but flora and invertebrates will also flourish.

The trust provides a BBQ at the end of workday.  You also get to spend the day with a great bunch of people in a great environment.