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Professor Carolyn King is New Zealand's foremost and a world authority on the ecology of mustelids. The link is to her being interviewed by Jesse Mulligan on RNZ National on the 18 May. www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018746935/expert-feature-professor-carolyn-king-invasive-mammals 17 February, Jesse Mulligan interviewed Lisa and Geoff Whittle about their trapping in the northern Ruahines on his RNZ National afternoon programme. To listen to it, click on the link. www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018734487/trapping-in-the-ruahine-ranges
 There used to be traps here. Opposite the Oroua campsite after flooding after flooding Longview Line 100 mustelids Killed!, The Oroua Whio make the News, Low catch numbers, Whio ducklings at Leon Kinvig Hut Oroua Whio make the news In October I had the pleasure of taking NZ Herald reporter Alex Robertson and Steve and Mary Bielski on a walk in the Oroua Valley. We were lucky enough on the day to find a couple of ducks - our local Guardian newspaper ran some articles and you can see the resulting video at https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12149110 If you like watching videos check out this short one I helped polytech student Victoria Cave- Higgins make as part of her course work. https://youtu.be/V3XoL5p-Uwo All good publicity for the RWP.  In late August the Ruahine Whio Collective held their annual hui at Camp Wakarawa in Central Hawkes Bay. There was a great turnout with representatives from all groups making up the Collective.  Welcome to a rather late edition of the RWP News - it's been a busy summer/autumn. Plenty to report on - Whiowhio Hut, a Rangatahi Noho at "The Narrows", Battle for the Birds in the Northern Ruahines, updates and new trap lines and more funding for the coming year.....................  Last November wonderful whio folk Whiona and Whin (aka Fiona Burleigh and Anthony Behrens) opened WhioWhio hut - an urban hut in their backyard in Palmerston North. Open to Te Araroa trail walkers and Tour Aotearoa bikepackers, koha from visitors is donated to the Ruahine Whio Protection Trust. This is a wonderful and generous gesture that will benefit those who volunteer to help our whio. To read more about this project go to https://www.whiowhio.nz   The team at "The Narrows"  Pyromaniac on the loose in Ruahines? Time for further update - it's now post Easter Autumn and the lovely weather continues. We certainly can't complain about high river levels this year.............. at least up until now.
Catch numbers are looking to be fairly average this year - and trending down after a peak in December. Catches for the Oroua are January Stoats 12, Rats 37; Feb S 5, Weasels 2, R 44 , Possums 2; March S 10, R 25, Hedgehog 1, mouse 1.  Happy family Since the last update in early November there has been a huge volunteer effort in both valleys. The rain stopped, river levels fell and the river traps have been serviced. Over the last 2 1/2 months there has been over 50 volunteer person days put in up in the hills. A bait trial has been set up and in the Oroua (including Rangi) 79 stoats or weasels, 129 rats and 4 hedgehogs have been removed from the Doc 200 traps.
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