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Compared with Shakespear Open Sanctuary’s plantings, volunteers were a lot thinner on the ground at a Hibiscus Coast Forest & Bird community planting alongside the Weiti River at Silverdale on June 25.
A total of 15 volunteers – including several Forest & Bird members – had to get 1700 native seedlings in the ground – a task that took them three hours.
Richard Chambers, who was coordinating the event for the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board, said that it would have been nice to have more locals involved, however there are a lot of planting events on, both locally and around Auckland, which made the turnout not unexpected.
The planting on the river’s edge at 36 Hibiscus Coast Highway will enhance the new reserve to be formed there but the big issue, according to volunteer Vern Rule, is the positive effect it will have on water quality. The river was not always heavily silted and filled with mangroves – a result of development. Vern recalls hearing several years ago from a resident who swam in the Weiti River as a young person, around 80 years ago.
A pest trapping line will be set in the area – Vern has already been trapping there and caught 13 possums in less than a month.
The next Hibiscus Coast Forest & Bird planting day is on July 16. See What’s On for details.
Forest and Bird members Steffen Stenzel, left, and Hasini Perera of Sandringham.
