National News> World Wetlands Day 2010

Here are a list of events being held by regional Fish & Game Councils for World Wetlands Day 2010

Eastern

Eastern will be having WWD on Feb 14th 2010 at the Kaituna WMR, just out of Te Puke, Bay of Plenty. It will be the official opening of a canoe trail in the wetland, so people will be able to canoe around a significant section of the 259ha. wetland. There will be also a guided walk around the wetland for about one hour with light refreshments after. Starting time will be about 10.00am. Fish & Game, DoC and Environment Bay of Plenty are organising the day. The theme of the day is “love you wetland” (as its Valentines Day).
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Taranaki

There will be an advertising feature in the Taranaki Daily News on Wednesday 27th January 2010 and a field trip on Sunday 31 January at 10am to the Umutekai wetland on Alison Rumball’s property located at the end of Umutekai Road, off Dorset Road, near New Plymouth.

The Umutekai wetland covers almost 50 hectares and is the largest remaining remnant of swamp forest that was once common on poorly drained but fertile land throughout the Taranaki ring plain.  The survival of such a large area of natural bush on private land is due to the foresight of the Rumball family who ‘retired’ half of the area they leased from the Crown for dairying in the late 1950s.  Alison and the late Barry Rumball began replanting the wetland and corridors of native species throughout the farm, after free-holding the property in the mid-1970s.  In recent years the Taranaki Regional Council has been working with Alison Rumball and the Cowley and Zimmerman families, whose properties also include parts of Umutekai, to protect and enhance this special wetland.  Work, such as predator control, is coordinated under a customized biodiversity plan, to further improve the biodiversity values of Umutekai.

Visitors during Sunday’s field trip will be able to explore the unique wetland, observe Paradise shelduck moulting on the open water area, find out more about pest control methods and hear presentations from representatives of QEII National Trust, the Taranaki Tree Trust, the Taranaki Regional Council, Department of Conservation and Fish & Game Taranaki.

North Canterbury

Soggy Feet at Boggy Creek

You are warmly invited to celebrate World Wetlands Day at Boggy Creek Reserve, Colletts Road, on Saturday the 30th of January (10am until 3pm). 

Boggy Creek Reserve was chosen to host the event as a section of Boggy Creek that runs through it is in the early stages of a collaborative restoration project between Fish & Game, the Selwyn District Council, local landowners and the Waihora Ellesmere Trust.

Stream enhancement will be the subject of a talk and free bus trip to the restored Harts Creek.

Other activities on the day will include:

• A plant safari with Environment Canterbury’s Philip ‘ Raupo’ Grove 
  
• Weaving with local rununga member Fiona Musson
  
• Children’s fishing lessons and casting competitions with Fish & Game Councillor Ian McCrory
  
• Electric fishing demonstration with DOC and Fish & Game 
  
• Learn about water quality and aquatic invertebrates with Environment Canterbury’s Paul de Spa.
  
• Use special equipment to study the Lake Ellesmere’s birdlife, guided by expert birdwatchers from the Ornithological Society. 
  
• Ogle the eels as they swim around in their tank 
  
• Meet the North Canterbury Game Shooters and enjoy a tasty BBQ. Gold coin donation (11am until 2pm) 
  
• Weeding: Boggy Creek is a work in progress. Bring you gardening equipment if you feel like getting up close and personal with the riparian weeds!

The event starts at 10am, and an introduction and welcome to Boggy Creek Reserve will be held at 12.30pm at the World Wetland’s Day tent.

There is no need to RSVP, but please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like any more details,

Kind regards,

Emily Arthur
Fish & Game Officer
North Canterbury
Work phone: 03 366 9191
Mob: 021 221 8332
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Southland

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