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Progress in pictures
The photos above were taken over a number of years of an endangered coastal broadleaved forest at Scandrett Regional Park, saved principally as a result of effective pest animal and plant control. There are no goats, pigs or deer in the park. Contract shooters target rabbits and possums, and volunteers control possums, rats, mustelids and mice through trapping and baiting.
The aerial photos show a significant increase in forest cover through self-seeding from 2005 to 2024.
There is a very small area in the aerial photo where native tree planting was done by volunteers.
All the regrowth you can find in these photos and on the forest floor occurred naturally, mainly through birds.
In 2011, volunteers started regularly trapping and baiting Scandrett and now there are over eight volunteers who continue this work across the park and some adjacent land.
I believe the key to saving this endangered forest is all parties being on the same page concerning restoration. We have Auckland Council northern regional park rangers providing sound management, tools and baits; volunteers regularly servicing traps and bait stations; and local businesses supplying an additional and enticing range of baits for DOC. The range includes beef fat, salmon skins, a smoked fish oil byproduct and eggs.
Colin Binstead, A Friend of Scandrett and Mahurangi East Regional Parks
Rodney pillaged
A couple of months ago, Rodney residents woke up to a different outcome than the expected maximum 5.8 per cent rate rise (announced by Auckland Council in June).
Unfortunately, Rodney is now under the blanket of Auckland, unable to breathe or have acknowledged that many homeowners here have had their rates bills greatly multiplied.
Rodney is not the main part of Auckland although it seems like it is as great numbers visit here to enjoy their free time on our beaches, open spaces, country drives and facilities.
Meanwhile other areas of Auckland possibly had a nice surprise of under or at the expected 5.8 per cent rates rise.
Fairness seems to have gone out the window except for the hope it will not happen to other people with the right precautions taken.
Pillage, I would think, is taking something with no intention of returning it to that area, which explains the new rates system.
It used to be that if something was broken on your watch you’d fix it – we need can-do (from council) and fairness for all.
Mary Daynes, Warkworth
Two-legged rat
Warkworth is a wonderful place to live, work and breathe. It has an interesting river and some fantastic native bush. People aren’t the only residents who realise how good it is here. There is also great bird life and some unique insects and lizards.
But guess who comes along to spoil it all? Rats. Big fat Norway rats love the riverside and around people’s houses. Dainty little ship rats love the bush and the river and around houses.
A team of volunteers work passionately to try and prevent Warkworth being overrun by rats, but they need community help around homes and gardens to keep the numbers down. Volunteers have caught nearly 2000 pests in the last three years, mostly rats.
There are seasons when intensive trapping seems to help reduce the pest population and Pest Free Warkworth has been putting up signs around town to remind us to set our traps.
But this week Warkworth got a new sort of rat – a pest with two legs, hunting alone or with others, and not eating our precious native species, but stealing signs!
Please just return our sign – leave it near where you took it so we can find it again.
Jan Elliott, Pest Free Warkworth
