7 June 2012

Volunteers Restore Forest Habitat for Birds

The Rotary Club of South Wairarapa is taking the lead in an animal pest trapping programme at RW Tate Reserve, Greytown.

Following only two months of trapping, the Rotary Club volunteers have caught 2 possums, 2 hedgehogs, 2 rats and 12 mice.

The trapping programme, which aims to catch, rats, possums and mustelids, ( stoats, ferrets and weasels), is aimed at reducing pest numbers so as to restore the habitat of the R.W. Tate Reserve.

The Rotary Club animal pest control in conjunction with the Department of Conservation is an important community-based partnership which will benefit the Reserve. Currently 5 DOC 250 traps, 5 Timms traps and 23 rat traps are being checked weekly by the volunteer group.

The Rotary Club anticipate that the trapping programme will be advantageous to this important “bird hopping island” in the area, significant for its value as a nesting and feeding location for many native bird species. Allan Wasmuth from the Rotary Club says “We anticipate catching more pests as winter progresses and their food sources become scarce”. Allan hopes that Greytown residents will enjoy the sight and sound of more native birds in the future.

The Rotary Club of the South Wairarapa and the Department of Conservation have a long association in the management of the Tate Reserve. The Rotary Club have removed ash and walnut trees, installed a clearly defined track and surfaced paths and planted seedling native trees grown by the club.Rotary also installed three bridges, resurfaced the park access way and undertook other maintenance projects.

Department of Conservation Area Manager, Chris Lester says that “Community based initiatives such as the one run at R. W. Tate Reserve make a much needed and important contribution to helping protect and enhance our native ecosystems. The Rotary Club of South Wairarapa are to be congratulated for their past and future efforts”.

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