On Sunday 28 March we enjoyed the opportunity to showcase the Sanctuary to members of the public. Those who braved the cold easterly wind and autumnal day enjoyed a multitude of activities and informative stations highlighting the opportunities to get involved in hands on conservation, right on their back doorstep.

We would like to thank the events team and all those volunteers who were involved in making the day a success. We would especially like to thank musician Steve Low, who provided mellow tunes for people to listen to while enjoying their picnics and puppeteer John Crick, who kept a wide range of ages enthralled with his storytelling and puppets.

Other highlights were the Waimaori stream care station, the Sport Tasman Active movement equipment, face painting, stilt walkers, treasure hunt and guided walks. We are very pleased to have increased our rat trap numbers through the sponsor a trap program children and adults alike enjoyed decorating and customising their traps.

FENCE RESOURCE CONSENT GRANTED

We have been granted resource consent for the 14km predator-proof fence that will create a 700ha native wildlife experience close to Nelson’s city centre.

The independent commissioner appointed by the Nelson City Council announced the decision last month, after hearings held in August. The period for any appeals to be lodged with the Environment Court has now passed without appeal, making the consents effective.

The consents cover the pest proof fence and an associated network of walking and operational 4WD quad bike tracks. The groundwork for the consents had been a prime focus for the trust over the last two years, with a lot of input from trustees and specialist advisors.

Trust patron Philip Woollaston said the consent was great news for the sanctuary project.

“The optimism the consent gives us makes it a great time to be seeking the support we need to see the fence become a reality,” he said. “Planning the next phase of fundraising and sponsorship is already underway and having consent is reassuring for donors and the many members and volunteers who support the trust.”

Conditions of the consent include weaving the fence line to avoid significant trees and to enclose stands of rare hinau and mountain totara, weed clearance and ongoing weed control, and comprehensive revegetation including salvage and propagation of plant material from along the fence route. All work is to be supervised by a qualified ecologist. Other conditions relate to minimising visual effects and provision of additional bus and car parking.

The commissioner, Camilla Owen, commented on the ‘manifest and significant’ benefits of the project. She said while there will be some disruption while the fence is constructed, ‘in the end a resource will be created which will be an enhancement of what is already present – the environment will be enhanced and preserved’. A copy of the Resource Consent decision can be downloaded here

Resource Consent Decision

Trapping Results

The trapping effort has intensified to combat the increased number of pests

in the sanctuary. For the latest results click this link

Trapping Data

BACKYARD BIRD MONITORING

We both hope and predict that hunting and trapping within the Brook Sanctuary, preservation and enhancement of the native flora (thanks weeders) and the eventual construction of a pest-proof fence will not only increase bird activity within the sanctuary, but also in the surrounding areas of Nelson, Stoke and Richmond. The only way we can know this, however, is by having some measure of bird activity across the wider community over time.

How can you help?

Become a Backyard Bird Monitor. Backyard bird monitoring involves counting the birds seen in one’s backyard, a local park or other area of choice over a period of  half an hour between the 14th and 22nd of each month (except July, when we ask that you monitor for one hour to coincide with the National Bird Survey). Only the largest number seen at one time of each species is recorded. Monitoring can be conducted at any time of day, but please note the time on your monitoring form. If you don’t know a sparrow from a song thrush, now is a great time to learn. A useful resource is http://www.whatbird.co.nz/.

Please contact Katherine Chamberlain at BrookBirdData@gmail.com  if you are interested in becoming a Backyard Bird Monitor or would like additional information.

To download the form to start as a backyard bird monitor click here

Annual General Meeting

The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary AGM was held Wednesday 26 August 2009 7:00pm at the NCC Council Chambers and was very well attended.

Guest Speaker Doug Avery

we were very privileged to hear a motivating talk on:

“Farming Green in the Brown Spot” the story of Bonavaree farms adaptation to a drier future.

Inspirational dryland farmer and mentor Doug Avery has changed the way he farms in order to combat the drought's that have plagued the East Coast of Marlborough for many years.

He summed up his philosophy with the words:

‘Vision without action is just a dream,

Action without vision is just activity,

Vision and action together can change the world’.

story

TREE OF LIFE

The Tree of Life provides a way to link your family name to the project for posterity

If you would like to sponsor a bird on the tree of life please click the link below to download the sponsorship form, print it out, fill it in and send it back to us.

Tree of Life Sponsorship form

Over the Weekend of 14 & 15 June we were privileged to offer the public an opportunity to meet the Kakapo Chicks.

We would like to say a BIG thank you to all who were involved in the event and to the 5000+ people who came along and 'Met the Chicks'.

It was an extraordinary occasion and at one stage we had all 6 chicks on display, which is 5% of the entire Kakapo species!

We would like to thank the Department of Conservation for the opportunity to host the chicks and the support that they provided us.

TEACHER FOR SANCTUARY

A full time teacher, Shine Kelly, has been appointed through funding from NMIT and the Cawthron Institute Trust Board. She was raised in the Nelson area and graduated from the University of Otago with a degree in physicalanthropology. Shine, also a primary teacher, has spent most of her teaching career in Timaru and has recently returned to Nelson following a year’s stint at Karori Normal School in Wellington where she spent much of her recreational time enjoying the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary.
In her year long position, Shine will be creating an educational strategy for the sanctuary, designing an environmental sustainability course, to be taught at NMIT, and looks forward to working with Top of the South educators to create educational programmes encouraging schools into our wonderful outdoors classroom!

Click here to view Shines Blog

NELSON CITY COUNCIL SUPPORTS $1 MILLION FUNDING REQUEST BASED ON STRONG COMMUNITY SUPPORT

What does this mean? Well the cheque is not yet in the post! We requested $1 million in funding as four annual contributions of $250,000 beginning from 2008/09 onwards. This was to give us a year to complete some key processes, particularly obtaining resource consent for the fence.

So with your tremendous help we have got the result we were looking for. Over the next year we will be working hard on the resource consent – bringing Alastair Wiffen on to the team, as the project manager for the fence, and using the Council’s potential $1 million to persuade other partners to join us to secure all the funds needed.

PROJECT COORDINATOR

A full time project coordinator Rick Field has been appointed and is getting stuck into the role. Rick was born in Nelson and graduated from the University of Canterbury with a zoology degree. He and his wife Danella, recently returned to New Zealand, to have their fist child Thomas, after six years overseas. Rick worked in Washington DC at the Smithsonian Institution and for Apple Computers Inc. in London. The Trust is delighted at Rick’s appointment and was somewhat humbled by the strong field of talented folk who applied.

Project Coordinator Rick Field
with his wife Danella and son Thomas in front of the entrance building

PROJECT MANAGER FOR FENCE

We have secured the services of Alastair Wiffen (Wiff), known to some of you as the builder who coordinated the completion of our entrance building, to advance the Pest-proof Fence Project. He has
been contracted with funds from the Canterbury Community Trust to get everything ready for the building of our fence, particularly preparing the resource consent and coordinating all the detailed research needed for this, organising public consultations, selecting the fencing contractor and working with local companies to obtain their support. It is envisaged that this should take about one year.

RARE RED CROWNED PARAKEETS PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE BROOK

A pair of red crowned parakeet (kakariki) have been photographed on two separate occasions in the Brook. The red-crowned is considered almost gone from the South Island mainland and our chairperson has only seen one in 20 years of studying birds there. Nelson has been listed as one of three sites (with the Catlins and South Westland) where it was thought still to occur, and finding it on the ground is no surprise as this habit is considered one reason why it is so rare, making it more vulnerable to predators. The stoat trapping that has started in the sanctuary should benefit this bird and the others that we hope are with it. But another pest is now coming into the spotlight. Possum sign is frequently found in the site and damage to the vegetation significant so we are soon to begin a trapping programme.

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