The Abel Tasman Coast Track is one of the New Zealand Department of Conservation s Great Walks. After competing in Auckland’s Gumboot Marathon raising just under $23,000 for Melanoma NZ and Rural Support Trust, Keeys said he had been itching to find another opportunity to give back. It was Williams who suggested a run to raise funds to buy school and sport shoes for low socio-economic communities. Teaming up with the Salvation Army, Williams then thought “why not take the gumboot concept a step further and go barefoot”. The schoolmates spent more than three months training every weekend barefoot on different treks across the Waikato in preparation.
Possums pounded in Pirongia 1080 drops 19 Jan 2021 14:12 PM Photo: Getty Images.
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The Department of Conservation says its pest control operation on Mount Pirongia, including a 1080 drop over 14,000 hectares, has been a success.
Biodiversity ranger Cara Hansen says monitoring shows a reduction in possum numbers, giving species such as rata trees, kokakō, pekapeka or bats and the rare parasitic plant Dactylanthus the opportunity to thrive.
“The removal of possums — and other predators such as stoats and rats — at Pirongia means the many forest bird species found there will be able to successfully raise clutches of chicks.
“Controlling predators also allows the forest canopy to recover, improving the forest’s health and providing important habitat for native species,” she says.
Wednesday, 20 January 2021, 4:44 pm
Diverse native wildlife on Mount Pirongia in South
Waikato can flourish this summer, thanks to a successful
pest control operation, says the Department of Conservation
(DoC).
But the department’s claims are seriously
flawed says two outdoor organisations. The Council of
Outdoor Recreation Associations says the claims do not
“statistically” add up while the Sporting Hunters
Outdoor Trust said the department’s claims were simply
“demonising” the possum while using 1080 was damaging to
all life including invertebrates, birds and
animals.
“DoC constantly claim the possum is a
predator when it’s a herbivore,” sad Tony Orman
spokesman for the Trust.
Article – Tony Orman Diverse native wildlife on Mount Pirongia in South Waikato can flourish this summer, thanks to a successful pest control operation, says the Department of Conservation (DoC). But the departments claims are seriously flawed says two outdoor organisations. …
Diverse native wildlife on Mount Pirongia in South Waikato can flourish this summer, thanks to a successful pest control operation, says the Department of Conservation (DoC).
But the department’s claims are seriously flawed says two outdoor organisations. The Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations says the claims do not “statistically” add up while the Sporting Hunters Outdoor Trust said the department’s claims were simply “demonising” the possum while using 1080 was damaging to all life including invertebrates, birds and animals.