ENVIRONMENT WATCH
PROJECT AIMS TO BRING BACK BIRD SONG
BY HELEN OUGH-DEALY "T
he rats on Urupukapuka Island used to be so bad they would eat through the plastic bags to get to our rice," recalls an island camper.
But that's all in the past now, thanks to Project Island Song. All stoats, rats and mice have been eradicated from the islands of the eastern Bay of Islands westwards from Urupukapuka Island to Motuarohia (Roberton) Island and all the rock stacks and islets in between.
Project Island Song is a collaboration between the local community group Guardians of the Bay of Islands Inc, local hapu from Te Rawhiti, Patukeha and Ngati Kuta and the Bay of Islands area office of the Department of Conservation. Pest eradication was carried out in winter 2009, but it is critical that pests are prevented from reinvading
the islands. So far fewer than 10 rats and mice have managed to return and they were all trapped. DNA results indicate they were local eastern Bay of Islands' rats and may have arrived on boats with people visiting the islands or have swum by themselves from the nearby mainland. The public's help is essential in helping reduce this risk of reinvasion. A high level of biosecurity is everyone's job. The main message being used to encourage the public is: "Stop (before leaving the mainland), Check (your gear and vessel for pests), then Go (and have fun)".
Local pest control contractors, Guardians of the Bay of Islands volunteers and DoC staff are continuing to monitor all the comprehensive rat and stoat traps and rat tracking tunnels across the islands. A two-part mainland pest control project, Project Points and Project Strip, has been put into place to provide an effective protective buffer zone for the islands. Project Points has a network of traps designed to stop pests swimming back to the islands from mainland headlands, while Project Strip is a line of rat traps along the roadside from Rawhiti to Dicks Bay. Local contractors from
Te Rawhiti Enterprises Ltd who have been trained in pest control techniques are servicing these defences, which form a vital part of the islands' defensive system.
John Clendon sets a DOC200 stoat trap
Other community groups, including the New Zealand Kiwi Foundation, the Eastern Bay of Islands Protection Society and Russell Landcare Trust are helping with pest control all the way to Tapeka Peninsula, effectively providing protection for the islands. Restoration of the islands is part of a wider project involving reforestation of parts of the islands, track upgrades and improved archaeological interpretation. Once the project can prove it can keep the pests away, the Guardians and DoC hope to reintroduce native species, including saddlebacks/tieke, North Island robins/toutouwai and bellbirds/korimako, to help the islands sing again.
Treasure islands Check for stowaways PLEASE
CHECK YOUR BOAT AND GEAR FOR RATS, MICE, ARGENTINE ANTS, RAINBOW SKINKS, SOIL AND SEEDS
SET BAIT OR TRAPS FOR ANIMAL PESTS REPORT ANY SIGHTINGS TO 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468)
November/December 2011 Professional Skipper 55
www.projectislandsong.co.nz www.treasureislands.co.nz
