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Communities Turn Out to Support Clean Water

Communities Turn Out to Support Clean Water

NZ Landcare Trust's Communities for Clean Water weekend-of-action proved to be a big hit around the country with hundreds of volunteers turning out to get involved in regional events. People of all ages rolled up their sleeves and helped with native planting, monitoring and testing water, tidying streams, and generally having fun while making a positive contribution to water quality in their local lakes, rivers and streams.

NZ Landcare Trust Communications Manager James Barnett said "On behalf of all the NZ Landcare Trust staff, I'd like to thank everyone who came along to our events and helped support the 'Communities for Clean Water' campaign. NZ Landcare Trust focuses on working alongside communities, helping them to make a practical difference where it matters most... on the ground. It was satisfying to see a lot of practical work carried out this weekend by some very enthusiastic people."

The Waikato event was a great example, where a perfect sunny day at Lake Rotomanuka, attracted around 40 local people including a number of families. Attendees did a great job, planting around 500 wetland species, while the more adventurous also took the opportunity to view the lake from a kayak. The relaxed friendly atmosphere ensured everyone was welcome. People planted at an easy rate, often guiding younger members of the family on the finer points of spadework. The day was wrapped up with a BBQ lunch.

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The weather may not have been quite so welcoming on Saturday morning in Auckland but that didn't stop a similar number of people from supporting the planting event linked to the Volcano to Sea project. In addition to planting, the volunteers helped clear rubbish from around the Bell Park Stream and even carried out some testing to determine water-quality in the stream.

Stream monitoring was the focus for a smaller group who attended a stream workshop at Te Pahi Stream near Maungaturoto in Northland. Attendees were introduced to a range of stream assessment techniques, including habitat assessment, water clarity, and invertebrate identification.

Continuing with an educational theme, the Manawatu River played host to an informative boating trip, where 45 people enjoyed the journey between Foxton Township and Foxton Beach, looking at the lower end of the Manawatu river loop at Foxton. The event proved to be very popular and we are now planning a follow-up event to deal with the additional interest.

Collaboration was the name of the game in the Bay of Plenty as NZ Landcare Trust joined forces with the Tauranga City Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council to put on a Communities for Clean Water event at Tauranga’s Gordon Carmichael Reserve. Nearly 200 people including children from Bethleham Primary School removed 310kgs of rubbish, including an old bike, a 4m length of plastic pipe and a mouldy shoulder bag containing a copy of Barry Manilow's greatest hits on CD!

Heading to the mainland, where a community action day at Kakanui, North Otago was a huge success. Around 40 adults and loads of children enjoyed a range of activities including planting 300 native plants in a riparian area along the bank of the Kakanui River, whitebaiting, interacting with a live fish display and flax weaving.

A small but industrious group on the West Coast had a wonderful time while planting 1150 native plants along Homestead Creek, which is a tributary of Lake Poerua. In fact they had such a good time they plan to do it all again, with another 500 plants already lined up and ready to go.

Catley Farm in South Otago was the destination for a community planting day with a difference. In addition to planting along the Washpool Stream attendees also learned about our rare native Pomahaka Galaxiid. These rare native fish have been found in this stream and the riparian planting work will help improve habitat, which in turn should help contribute to preserving the population.

The first event in the Communities for Clean Water campaign took place in early October at Kenny and Orla Kyles's nursery in Marlborough's Rai Valley . This event saw volunteers from Outward Bound join with local volunteers to help out at the community native plant nursery. The energetic group potted up over 2500 native seedlings, that will go on to help riparian restoration and enhancement work in the area.

The variety of events delivered as part of the Communities for Clean water campaign highlights the diversity of work that NZ Landcare Trust carries out all around the country. Many of the events were directly linked to our projects, and provided the general public with an opportunity to sample what we do and how we do it.

Clean water is a huge issue for people around New Zealand and community participation can only be one part of a broader solution. Government, local authorities, business and recreational users all have a role to play.

The key for individuals is to get informed and get involved. Communities for Clean Water has presented an opportunity to do just that.

More information about NZ Landcare Trust can be found online: www.landcare.org.nz

ENDS

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