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Work Day Reminder, May 21 2022
The next monthly work day will be from 9.00am – noon this coming Saturday.
Please make sure we have your attendance recorded and a contact phone number and please let us know if you subsequently come down with Covid and could have been infectious at the time of the work day. Presentation of a Covid vaccine pass is not required. Morning tea will be structured to minimise close contact.
On the work day we’ll be planting along the Mairehau Rd dunes. If you arrive late there will be a notice on the Education Centre door indicating where we have gone.
All tools provided. It may be wet underfoot, so gumboots are advised. If you don’t own any we do have some for loan. Please bring your own gloves if you can.
Latest News
Report on Last Work Day, 16 April
Easter Saturday was a cloudy nor’west day and 18 people turned up to help with planting in the Millennium Forest area.
Luckily ranger Phil had sprayed the area ahead of time to reduce weed coverage, making it easier to put in close to 200 plants. These were mainly cabbage trees, Coprosma species and Carex secta. It was pleasing to see some regenerating Pittosporum and lacebarks as we searched for gaps to fill between taller trees.
Clumps of colourful Libertia were planted close to dry edges along with Prickly shield fern (Polystichum vestitum). This fern loves forest margins and can tolerate a range of soil types and water levels. A native jasmine was also put in with a suitable support to encourage climbing.
Mika found a large brown spider near the stream edge. We think this is likely to be a fishing spider, Dolomedes aquatious, which likes unforested riverbanks with gravel nearby. It is mainly nocturnal and can swim or run on the surface of water.
As usual we finished up with refreshments at the Education Centre. Thanks to all who gave up some of their Easter break to help out.
Article: Sue Britain, Images: Dave Evans and Mike Bourke
Royal Spoonbill article on Newsline
In case you missed it the City Council Newsletter, Newsline, featured an article recently about Royal Spoonbills breeding at Ōruapaeroa / Travis Wetland last summer.
Image: John Dunlop
Holiday Helpers at the Wetland
A welcome addition to Wayne’s Wednesday Working Group were grandchildren of Diane, Lauren and Nicholas.
The Bexley landing area is also to be developed as part of this project – including the establishment of a bird viewing area, an Thank you to you both for coming and so willingly picking up rubbish thrown over the boundary fence and for pulling lots of convolvulus!
Article and image: Eleanor Bissell
City Nature Challenge 2022
The annual global City Nature Challenge was held at the end of April and Ōtautahi / Christchurch was the leading city in Aotearoa New Zealand. Due in no small part to the efforts of Trust member Jon Sullivan who made the most observations and observed the greatest number of species. Eleanor Bissell made many observations at Travis, but you didn’t have to leave home – all my observations were in my garden.
BBQ for the I D E A S team
Their work at Travis is so much appreciated. To say a big thank you to them the Trust put on a lunch time. BBQ with Wayne cooking the food perfectly. Cherie and Tess manage the group who willingly work at ongoing maintenance. They enjoy what they do; it makes a big difference, as you can see by the pictures.
Article and images: Eleanor Bissell
Images from Grahame
