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The goal of ridding Whangaparaoa Peninsula of wild predators is now almost within the grasp of Hibiscus Coast Forest & Bird.
Last month the organisation received a funding windfall from Auckland Council that members say will enable them to create a barricade of traps and bait stations, making it difficult for rats, stoats and possums to get down the peninsula.
Pest Free Peninsula project manager Pauline Smith says because the project is taking place in an urban area, it is a prototype for the Predator Free NZ movement, and is being watched closely by other conservation groups.
It has received solid support from Council, and the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board.
She says that the funding of around $13,000 will be used for predator control on private land, including golf courses.
The focus will be on creating four “choke points” across the peninsula. Each of these will be managed by volunteers and, with the extension of the project, more volunteers are needed.
The work involves everything from letting residents know about predator controls in their neighbourhood via mailbox drops to administration and management of the process and placing and managing trapping lines.
Pauline stresses that the community will be consulted every step of the way and that there is a lot of work to be done before any new traps or bait stations are laid.
“Council owned reserves are quite straightforward, but careful management is required where private properties are involved,” she says. “So far we’ve had great support in areas where we’ve put pest control in place.”
As well as distributing letters to residents in the vicinity of the choke points, Pauline says that a public meeting will be held in June to allay people’s concerns. This will cover the overall plan, the materials used, the areas where controls are needed and how everything is managed.
In the meantime, she says to take the project to the next level will require more volunteers and she is hoping some will step forward at the organisation’s annual meeting on May 12 at St Andrew’s Church hall, 107 Centreway Rd, Orewa, 7pm–9.30pm.
This meeting also includes a talk about Predator Free NZ from Forest & Bird Campaign & Advocacy Manager, Kevin Hackwell and all are welcome.
The Predator Free Peninsula was first considered in 2006 when the Northwest Wildlink concept was introduced by Auckland Regional Council and Forest & Bird. This demonstrated that a wildlife corridor was needed to give birds stop off points between Tiritiri Matangi and Ark in the Park in the Waitakere Ranges. The first line of traps and bait stations was completed at Karaka Cove in January last year. Since then, more than 84ha of the peninsula has been put under pest control.
