18 June, 2014

MEDIA RELEASE

Upper Waitaki Zone Committee meeting

The Upper Waitaki Zone Committee will meet for its regular monthly meeting on Friday 20 June in Twizel.

The meeting will begin with a report from Environment Canterbury’s Principal Land Management Advisor. This will include an update on project milestones and a recommendation that the committee form a Land and Water working group (similar to a biodiversity working group).

The group would be responsible for proposing 3-5 year land use/water quality outcomes for the zone committee; confirming the outcomes for Land and Water for the next 12 months; and guiding the development of a programme of work for 2014/15.

In other business, the committee will consider a recommendation to approve in principle a commitment to future Immediate Steps (IMS) funding to allow further scoping of the establishment of a Tekapo River Predator Free Island for braided river bird habitat.

This work would include trials to establish an optimum site, submission of an application to the regional initiatives fund, designing the predator control, engaging a contractor and determining the monitoring design.

The model for this project proposal has been developed through Project River Recovery’s Ohau Island predator control programme. The programme was designed as an intensive predator control operation to protect black-fronted tern nests. It began in March 2010 and during the second year of its implementation when all pests were targeted (feral cats, ferrets, hedgehogs, stoats, weasels, possums, and Norway rats), nearly all black-fronted tern nests fledged young. This model provides information on the trapping methods and frequency required to see positive biodiversity outcomes in braided river bird populations.

The Upper Waitaki Zone Committee operates as a joint committee of Environment Canterbury and the Waitaki and Mackenzie District councils. Zone committee meetings are open to the public and community members are encouraged to attend.

Meeting details:

Upper Waitaki Zone Committee Meeting
Friday 20 June 2014, at 9.30 am
Mackenzie Country Inn, Twizel

For an agenda visit: http://ecan.govt.nz/get-involved/canterburywater/committees/upper-waitaki/Pages/Default.aspx

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