Elimination Zones
Last month we made 927 trap checks in the Old Russell Peninsula (ORP) elimination zone (the areas of Okiato or Te Wahapu). In all that, we caught only one rat! This was a young Norway rat and it was caught in one of our stations closest to the ferry landing at Okiato. This suggests that it either swam across (which Norway rats are fond of doing) or it came on the Ferry (no doubt side-stepping the new rates). We are certainly happy with this progress to only one rat being caught, but we remain vigilant as the warmer weather in spring will bring further rat movement as the search for mates and new habitat begins. It wouldn’t be surprising if we saw a spike next month and we are preparing ourselves for this.
Results for Tapeka will be in by the end of this week so keep an eye out for next month’s email for an update there.
Sally, Rapu and Kelly
We had a special visit last month, from Sally Bain (of Predator Free Wellington) and her two rat detection dogs, Rapu and Kelly. We’ve known we’ve been getting to the last rats in the ORP elimination zone for a while, and one of the best ways to determine whether that’s true or not, and whether our device network is catching everything or letting things slip through, is by bringing in the dogs. Kelly and Rapu are the only two rat specific detection dogs in the country (the rest also detect mice), and they are amazingly good at it. They move quickly and in just two and a half days we managed to cover all of our areas of concern in the ORP zone. The only detection that was made was, by Sally’s determination, not fresh and up to three months old. This is an area where we’ve caught a few rats in the last couple months, so we think we might have got it. The dog work supports what we’d determined from our traps – that we’ve basically mopped everything up now. The Norway rat we caught was the day after the dogs had been through that area, supporting the idea that it came across and was immediately caught by our device
Kororāreka Activation
Next week (from October 15th), we’ll be activating the network of township traps and bait stations. This marks a significant milestone for the project as we get into the area with the highest number of landowners, the highest density of houses and likely, an area where we’ll get a lot of catches. Kororāreka hosts a dense trapping network, with over 1800 devices being spread out across the 118ha zone. During this “knockdown” phase starting next week, we’ll be aiming to service all traps and bait stations on a seven to ten day cycle. If you have traps and/or bait stations on your property, please expect some visits from one of our team in the near future. If you’ve requested notification first, someone will be in touch before visiting.
On September 26, we held a town meeting at the Duke of Marlborough to discuss these township activation plans. If you missed the presentation you can find a copy of it at this link.
Weekly Volunteering
Our weekly volunteer group really has been making great headway into a continuously growing list of tasks that keep the project moving forward. In the past month we’ve had a team in each Wednesday that have built no less than 400 tree bait stations, processed timber for 100 mangrove stations, built a loading deck at the back of the depot, spent a morning conducting biodiversity surveys in Tapeka, written articles and completed numerous other tasks around the place. And that doesn’t even count the 72 hours of time people have put into trapping rats, possums and stoats in their backyards in September. We can’t say a big enough thanks to these volunteers for putting in this awesome mahi and helping our funding go further and further, it really does make a big difference for the Predator Free Russell program, and Russell Landcare Trust as a whole. So THANKS!
If you’d like to be a part of our volunteer network please email us contact@russellandcare.org.nz and we’ll put you on the list! And yes, morning teas and lunches are provided! Does anyone know what an Appalachian pastry is? This seems to be one unanswerable question that has arisen from these enjoyable days…
Tikitikioure Expansion
In between servicing and installing devices in and around town, we’ve also been expanding the project south of the dump hill, with a vision to join the project areas at Orongo Bay. The team have been cutting lines up behind the Orongo Bay holiday park, Lichen Lane and out towards the quarry. If you live in any of these areas and would like to be part of the project by giving us access to your land to eliminate rats, stoats and possums, please take a minute to fill out the Property Access Agreement here.
Milk Bottles
Thanks to everyone who kindly donated their used milk bottles. We now have enough (for the short term at least) with several hundred being brought down to the depot! So thanks again and please go back to your normal method of recycling for the time being.