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 rangatahi leaders and assistants did an amazing job in organising the first rangatahi noho. When I received the itinerary, I realised it was a huge effort to organise and it will be a good framework for any future noho.
Richard Steedman led the hikoi to “The Narrows” and during the hikoi identified a number of tree species and their properties. Horopito was a good species to identify and definitely caught the rangatahi’s attention. At “The Narrows” Richard gave a good history of the area.
I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to present a demonstration on setting a stoat trap and the reasoning behind needing them. The power of the traps did surprise the rangatahi when the trap broke the stick and they enjoyed the opportunity to name a trap each and take ownership. It was a fun activity in placing them out in the field. It was disappointing not to catch anything overnight and hopefully that is a good sign in that there aren’t many pests.
Richard Steedman led the hikoi to “The Narrows” and during the hikoi identified a number of tree species and their properties. Horopito was a good species to identify and definitely caught the rangatahi’s attention. At “The Narrows” Richard gave a good history of the area.
I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to present a demonstration on setting a stoat trap and the reasoning behind needing them. The power of the traps did surprise the rangatahi when the trap broke the stick and they enjoyed the opportunity to name a trap each and take ownership. It was a fun activity in placing them out in the field. It was disappointing not to catch anything overnight and hopefully that is a good sign in that there aren’t many pests.
Jenny’s talk on the stars and their importance on navigation was well received. Steven’s firearm safety demonstration will be a good activity to continue. The catching of a pig and eel and subsequent dressing out was a good learning experience for those interested.
An idea for the next noho would be to place at least one acoustic recorder out for the night and maybe a trail cam too. With Kat Stoney likely hearing a kiwi call during the night it would be good to get confirmation of this. The recorder analysis will need to be done on a laptop possibly at a later date though. With the Trust being part of the overall Ruahine Whio Protection Collective the acoustic recorders are available for the Aorangi Awarua Trust to use.
The helicopter trips in and out would be the highlight for many. The helicopter was important in delivering the rangatahi and gear safely to and from the whenua. An idea for future noho is to ensure that the ones in front on the way in are the ones in the back on the way out. The flying fox is fine for the adults but is hard work to operate and takes a considerable amount of time. If the Trustees are concerned about the cost of the helicopter for future noho, an idea would be to apply for funding from possibly Pub Charity or other funders. I am available to assist if required.
An idea for the next noho would be to place at least one acoustic recorder out for the night and maybe a trail cam too. With Kat Stoney likely hearing a kiwi call during the night it would be good to get confirmation of this. The recorder analysis will need to be done on a laptop possibly at a later date though. With the Trust being part of the overall Ruahine Whio Protection Collective the acoustic recorders are available for the Aorangi Awarua Trust to use.
The helicopter trips in and out would be the highlight for many. The helicopter was important in delivering the rangatahi and gear safely to and from the whenua. An idea for future noho is to ensure that the ones in front on the way in are the ones in the back on the way out. The flying fox is fine for the adults but is hard work to operate and takes a considerable amount of time. If the Trustees are concerned about the cost of the helicopter for future noho, an idea would be to apply for funding from possibly Pub Charity or other funders. I am available to assist if required.
Oroua Valley Triangle Line Extension - an excerpt from Janet's April Oroua/Pohangina Newsletter
At the end of the month we - Fiona Burleigh, Ian R, Graham Peters and myself - took advantage of the continued good weather and installed new A24 traps in the Triangle Hut area. The line goes up river from the hut for approx 2km and also down river to the bypass track. Thanks to community ranger Nicole and Abi from DOC for applying for these 42 traps on our behalf. The traps were flown to Triangle Hut while DOC had the machine in the area which made it a worthwhile cheap delivery - thanks DOC for your cooperation. The river shows signs of massive gravel movement so hopefully the ducks we found in the area during the dog survey last year are safe and feeding in the side streams. We heard a male duck at Triangle hut and a pair flew past us heading up stream at lunchtime down by the bypass track. Nice to see. Thanks everyone for a good job done.
Eastern Ruahine trap lines - an update from Geoff Whittle
Lisa and I check two sets of traplines in the North Eastern Ruahines.. For both we start and finish near the top of No Mans Rd which runs from Big Hill Station up to the tops. We drive from Wellington on Friday night and usually camp on the roadside as the huts tend to be full of hunters. One line takes us into the headwaters of the Apias River, then along the river past Mistake and Rockslide Biv to Ikawetea Forks Hut where we stay the night. From there we follow the track that goes up the ridge to the tops near No Mans. Our other trip takes us South along the Crown Range past Aranga Hut to Point 1396 which is above a ridge that leads down to Rockslide. Sometimes we keep heading along the range to check the traps going to Piopio, and then return to 1396, but thankfully the good folk from WTMC often check that line these days. From Point 1396 we follow the line of A24s to Rockslide where we stay the night. Then next day we follow the traps up Slaughter Ridge back to No Mans.
In the 2017/8 season we managed to check both lines three times each. We won’t check the Crown Range line again until spring. There was nothing in the traps when we went there at Easter and nothing seems to happen over winter on this line. When we checked the Apias line in mid March we had quite a few rats so, weather permitting, we’ll try and make one more trip before winter, possibly early May.
There is also a line of A24s that run from Herricks Hut to Dead Dog Hut and then up the track that goes to the top of No Mans Rd. We checked those at Easter, but it’s not that easy for us to do it regularly as we need an extra day. The father and son team of Phillip and Nick Hansen have taken on the job of upgrading Herricks Hut and have already made a huge difference. They are also keen to help out with trap checking, so it looks like there will be no problem getting these traps checked regularly in the future.
Together with the WTMC we were successful in getting $20k for more A24 traps from the DOC Community Fund. We are working with the WTMC and the Aorangi Awarua Trust to determine the best locations for these traps. We are planning to get the traps placed by the end of 2018.
Over the six years we have been checking traps we have seen a steady increase in the number of whio in the Apias Stream. This is confirmed by the check conducted by Stephen Robson, Malcolm Swanney, and the incredible whio finding dog Fern, in February. They found 25 whio in the Apias from one kilometre below Ikawetea Hut to the Mistake Creek confluence. That surely has to be close to capacity.
Like many other streams in the Ruahines, the Apias has become full of shingle — good news for ease of river travel, but not such good news for whio kai. But the side streams all seem to be healthy. There are many other small streams in the No Mans area; some of them quite inaccessible and all rarely visited. Lisa and I feel that it’s likely that most of these streams are harbouring whio populations these days, but conducting a proper survey would be a massive undertaking!
Lisa and I check two sets of traplines in the North Eastern Ruahines.. For both we start and finish near the top of No Mans Rd which runs from Big Hill Station up to the tops. We drive from Wellington on Friday night and usually camp on the roadside as the huts tend to be full of hunters. One line takes us into the headwaters of the Apias River, then along the river past Mistake and Rockslide Biv to Ikawetea Forks Hut where we stay the night. From there we follow the track that goes up the ridge to the tops near No Mans. Our other trip takes us South along the Crown Range past Aranga Hut to Point 1396 which is above a ridge that leads down to Rockslide. Sometimes we keep heading along the range to check the traps going to Piopio, and then return to 1396, but thankfully the good folk from WTMC often check that line these days. From Point 1396 we follow the line of A24s to Rockslide where we stay the night. Then next day we follow the traps up Slaughter Ridge back to No Mans.
In the 2017/8 season we managed to check both lines three times each. We won’t check the Crown Range line again until spring. There was nothing in the traps when we went there at Easter and nothing seems to happen over winter on this line. When we checked the Apias line in mid March we had quite a few rats so, weather permitting, we’ll try and make one more trip before winter, possibly early May.
There is also a line of A24s that run from Herricks Hut to Dead Dog Hut and then up the track that goes to the top of No Mans Rd. We checked those at Easter, but it’s not that easy for us to do it regularly as we need an extra day. The father and son team of Phillip and Nick Hansen have taken on the job of upgrading Herricks Hut and have already made a huge difference. They are also keen to help out with trap checking, so it looks like there will be no problem getting these traps checked regularly in the future.
Together with the WTMC we were successful in getting $20k for more A24 traps from the DOC Community Fund. We are working with the WTMC and the Aorangi Awarua Trust to determine the best locations for these traps. We are planning to get the traps placed by the end of 2018.
Over the six years we have been checking traps we have seen a steady increase in the number of whio in the Apias Stream. This is confirmed by the check conducted by Stephen Robson, Malcolm Swanney, and the incredible whio finding dog Fern, in February. They found 25 whio in the Apias from one kilometre below Ikawetea Hut to the Mistake Creek confluence. That surely has to be close to capacity.
Like many other streams in the Ruahines, the Apias has become full of shingle — good news for ease of river travel, but not such good news for whio kai. But the side streams all seem to be healthy. There are many other small streams in the No Mans area; some of them quite inaccessible and all rarely visited. Lisa and I feel that it’s likely that most of these streams are harbouring whio populations these days, but conducting a proper survey would be a massive undertaking!
BATTLE FOR THE BIRDS NORTHERN RUAHINE 1080 OPERATION
As most of you will know, there was a large 1080 operation in the Northern Ruahines last November. DOC Manawatu have provided the following update;
As most of you will know, there was a large 1080 operation in the Northern Ruahines last November. DOC Manawatu have provided the following update;
Northern Ruahine Battle for our Birds update
A Battle for our Birds operation was carried out in across 32,829 ha of the Northern Ruahine ranges from 13 - 15 November 2017. This aerial 1080 operation was carried out to reduce rat, stoat and possum numbers following a beech mast.
We expect that Northern Ruahine populations of native species, including whio, kiwi, Powelliphanta marchanti, bats, red mistletoe, Dactylanthus taylorii and Pittosporum turneri, will benefit from reduced predation and browsing. Ongoing monitoring of pests and threatened species is underway. It’s early days, but results so far are as expected after this type of operation.
Here’s a summary of the results to date:
Pests:
A Battle for our Birds operation was carried out in across 32,829 ha of the Northern Ruahine ranges from 13 - 15 November 2017. This aerial 1080 operation was carried out to reduce rat, stoat and possum numbers following a beech mast.
We expect that Northern Ruahine populations of native species, including whio, kiwi, Powelliphanta marchanti, bats, red mistletoe, Dactylanthus taylorii and Pittosporum turneri, will benefit from reduced predation and browsing. Ongoing monitoring of pests and threatened species is underway. It’s early days, but results so far are as expected after this type of operation.
Here’s a summary of the results to date:
Pests:
- Rodent populations have been monitored using 160 footprint tracking tunnels – there have been one pre-operation monitor and two post-operation monitors so far. Rodent abundance will continue to be monitored (using the same method) four times a year.
Threatened species:
- Whio populations in the Apias and Mangatera catchments were surveyed in late February 2018. The Apias catchment was surveyed by conservation dog Fern with handler Malcolm Swanney and DOC Manawatu ranger Stephen Robson. The Mangatera catchment was surveyed by conservation dog Beau with handler Andrew Glaser, DOC Manawatu ranger Nathan Lightbourne and volunteer Anthony Behrens. Both catchments were last surveyed (using the same method) in December 2016. These surveys will be repeated annually for the next four years, to monitor the whio population over time.
Counts for this latest survey and the previous survey are summarised in the table below. Duckling age classes go from newly hatched (class 1) to nearly fledged (class 5).
The Powelliphanta snail population at Mokai (outside the treatment area) was monitored in March. Monitoring of Ruahine Corner snails (inside the treatment area) will be carried out in May. Data will be analysed after the Ruahine Corner monitor is complete. DOC Manawatu
An update from the Ruahine Whio Protection Trust
An update from the Ruahine Whio Protection Trust
I am very pleased to be able to say that we have been successful with all 3 of our recent funding bids bids. We have applied to the Central North Island Blue Duck Trust for approx $15000, to the DOC Community fund for $30000 and to Pub Charity (for $3059.00 for purchasing 20 traps for the "Narrows" trap line).
Our success, along with the Whittles/WTMC bid to the DOC CF and the DOC 1080 operation, represent a large investment in conservation in the Northern Ruahines which is excellent to see.
Our ongoing project to determine the range of kiwi in the Northern Ruahines, as reported last time, has found kiwi in the area between Iron Bark Hut and Puketaramea - the "Unknown Stream" catchment. The CNIBDT grant and half of the DOC grant have been used to purchase 192 Double set DOC 200 traps to be put out on the tracks in this area. The remainder of the DOC grant is for some replacement trap mechanisms, bait, gas and some flying time. We are hoping that the NZ Defence Force will help us out with lifting these traps in to the hills. It will need a big effort to get these traps in position. Horizons Regional Council also continue to support the Te Potae project.
I would like to thank Ian Rasmussen in particular for the time he has put in to writing these applications. It can be a long winded and frustrating process at times but wonderful to be successful.
Anne Lawrence resigned recently as trustee and secretary. Thanks go to Anne for all her work with setting up this trust - not an easy task. Nancy Braithwaite has taken on the role of secretary and Nancy also looks after our facebook page so welcome and thankyou.
Thank you to the CNIBDT and DOC for continuing to support our work, and to the local PN DOC office staff, in particular Nicole and Abi for your help and support.
Trustees Ian and Janet were out recently with members of Palmerston North Tramping and Mountaineering Club. They deployed the acoustic recorders in the Upper Makaroro catchment, in the area where Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club have their trap lines. Kiwi sign has been seen in the area so it is hoped their presence will be further confirmed by hearing their calls. As I write we are planning how to get the recorders back again! Janet will be in the No Mans area this coming weekend and hopes to hear some kiwis in that area too.
Our success, along with the Whittles/WTMC bid to the DOC CF and the DOC 1080 operation, represent a large investment in conservation in the Northern Ruahines which is excellent to see.
Our ongoing project to determine the range of kiwi in the Northern Ruahines, as reported last time, has found kiwi in the area between Iron Bark Hut and Puketaramea - the "Unknown Stream" catchment. The CNIBDT grant and half of the DOC grant have been used to purchase 192 Double set DOC 200 traps to be put out on the tracks in this area. The remainder of the DOC grant is for some replacement trap mechanisms, bait, gas and some flying time. We are hoping that the NZ Defence Force will help us out with lifting these traps in to the hills. It will need a big effort to get these traps in position. Horizons Regional Council also continue to support the Te Potae project.
I would like to thank Ian Rasmussen in particular for the time he has put in to writing these applications. It can be a long winded and frustrating process at times but wonderful to be successful.
Anne Lawrence resigned recently as trustee and secretary. Thanks go to Anne for all her work with setting up this trust - not an easy task. Nancy Braithwaite has taken on the role of secretary and Nancy also looks after our facebook page so welcome and thankyou.
Thank you to the CNIBDT and DOC for continuing to support our work, and to the local PN DOC office staff, in particular Nicole and Abi for your help and support.
Trustees Ian and Janet were out recently with members of Palmerston North Tramping and Mountaineering Club. They deployed the acoustic recorders in the Upper Makaroro catchment, in the area where Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club have their trap lines. Kiwi sign has been seen in the area so it is hoped their presence will be further confirmed by hearing their calls. As I write we are planning how to get the recorders back again! Janet will be in the No Mans area this coming weekend and hopes to hear some kiwis in that area too.