Forecasters say significant rain in Hawke s Bay still weeks away
30 Jan, 2021 10:27 PM
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The Karewarewa at Raukawa Rd in Bridge Pā, near Hastings, on Sunday. Photo / Paul Taylor
Rain that could relieve Hawke s Bay s increasingly parched countryside is weeks, and potentially months away, forecasts suggest.
But farmers say they re far better prepared than they were for the drought of 2020, and there s no need to hit the panic button yet.
MetService meteorologist Ashlee Parkes said while isolated and scattered showers up north in the Wairoa district are set to continue, the rest of Hawke s Bay could expect its long dry spell to largely persist this week.
A fully-flowing Karewarewa stream pictured in October contrasts with the same stream pictured yesterday.
Photo: Tom Kitchin
Authorities say conditions are starting to track close to last year s dry spell, which was described as a one-in-100-year event.
At the Karewarewa Stream in Bridge Pā, near Hastings, you can still hear the birds chirping, the cars driving by and the wind blowing.
But something that should be obvious is silent - there is no water flowing through.
The stream has disappeared and dried up in the last week.
It is a popular site for the local hapū, as its whānau carry out tohi rights to bless their tamariki.
Pressure is piling on the government to urgently amend the law so companies caught dumping contaminated waste water down the drain can be fined.
Councils have been pleading for the last 18 years to fix a loophole in the law to allow them to issue fines, without success (File image).
Photo: 123RF
Forest and Bird spokesperson Tom Kay said amending the Local Government Act must be a top priority for the government so companies that breached consents were held to account. And it s a really simple fix. The minister needs to make it a priority to address that as soon as possible. We understand there is a draft bill out there that can be picked up and progressed really rapidly to plug that hole in the Local Government Act, Kay said.
Sandhill grassland ecosystem with 243 native plant species now protected in Columbia County
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A 518-acre property that is home to 243 native plants is now protected as an easement in Columbia County. (Provided by North Florida Land Trust)
A 518-acre property in western Columbia County within the Ichetucknee Springs Focus Area and the Santa Fe and Suwannee River watersheds is now protected under the NRCS Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.
It’s one of the first agreements protecting a Grassland of Special Environmental Significance in Florida under the program.
The property features an exemplary sandhill grassland ecosystem, dominated by an intact old growth diverse groundcover that has been actively managed with prescribed fire by the family for multiple generations, according to North Florida Land Trust, which partnered with Alachua Conservation Trust on the project. Prescribed fire management has also benefited the more than 243 native plant spec