Newsletter #1
Hello everyone, Welcome to our first ‘test’ online newsletter. As I take up my new role as BRaid’s manager, one of my goals is to create a communications strategy that fulfils BRaid’s vision of increasing awareness of braided river ecosystems, promoting co-operation between stakeholders, and collecting and storing information. To achieve this, I’m currently creating what I hope will be a user-friendly multi-purpose information hub where everyone, from professionals at the top of their game to children wanting to learn about braided rivers, can find answers and share knowledge; especially knowledge that doesn’t always make it into peer-reviewed journals. Many of you have a wealth of information in your heads, but most of you also have limited time and resources, and so you can only apply your knowledge and experience to your particular project(s). This e-newsletter, like some of the website features mentioned below, aims to help break through some of those barriers so we can all share information and hopefully, optimise our limited resources. While we might all be working in different areas, we want the same outcomes: to reverse the alarming trend in our braided river ecosystems. This newsletter does not replace print newsletters sent to BRAid members; rather it’s a ‘news snippet’ newsletter; just, headlines with a few words in a quick, easy to skim email. Click links to more information, or delete it if items are of no interest to you. For this newsletter to be successful, the content needs to come from you. Pose questions. Share problems. Tell us what you (or the animals) are doing. It might be situation normal when others are finding quite the opposite. Talk about failures. They’re just as crucial as successes because they build on knowledge and lead to better practices. Send a link to a video or journal article, your progress on a project. And photos! Even if it’s just you looking through a microscope or a DNA chart, that lets others know about your research. Something trivial to you might trigger a eureka moment in others. Think of this as a free ‘classified’ page for braided river practitioners. And don’t be shy. Regular contributors will be rewarded! What you are seeing now is either the PDF I emailed (in which case the links won’t work), or the online version of the newsletter (if you clicked the link I provided in the body of the email, in which case, the links will work). To receive future newsletters, please sign up for them online, as this is the only time I will be manually emailing it, as I don’t want to bug you with endless requests. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this first newsletter. Sonny Whitelaw, BRaid Manager (manager@braid.org.nz) |
BRaid now has its own Facebook and Twitter pages. If ‘liking’ us slips your mind by the time you reach the end of this newsletter, not to worry, there are links throughout the website. BRaid aims to create a robust, practical, and useful network for braided river stakeholders, beginning with conservation professionals and volunteers, so it would be great if you share the love. If you don’t have a Facebook or Twitter account, not to worry, you can still see the pages without ‘liking’ or ‘following’ us. |
BRaid’s new website: Still very early days as it will take me time to create all the basic pages and upload our library of information, much less add everything to pages, but it’s already ‘live’ (and mobile-friendly) because I needed to create this newsletter and the calendar. Meanwhile, thanks to Steve Attwood for heaps of pix to get us going, and again, Dale McEntee for his site, which I am shamelessly plagiarising. I could really do with lots more photos, nice shots of braided rivers and of people doing work on them/with birds etc. |
Online Calendar of Events: On the website is a calendar of events to keep you informed, avoid clashes, and give you plenty of notice for upcoming events. The calendar can only be as comprehensive and accurate as you make it, so please email manager@braid.org.nz with events. Spend a moment to explore the calendar and you can see how detailed entries can be, including maps and images. |
BRaid’s next meeting: Since by now you’ve all rushed over to peruse at the calendar, you’ll know the time and place of BRAid’s next meeting, and who will be our guest speaker…. |
Clarence River Black-fronted tern project: A five-year programme to trap predators of black-fronted terns starts at three breeding colonies beside the upper Clarence River this winter. Department of Conservation (DOC) ranger Mike Aviss said a survey counted 303 black-fronted tern-tarapiroe nests at the colonies last spring. Hedgehogs, ferrets and ship rats, wild cats and a stoat were filmed raiding 63 nests read on… |
Canterbury Water Management Strategy: The Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS) is being implemented throughout Canterbury by Zone Committees that meet regularly to discuss water management. Meetings are open to the public. These are vitally important for anyone interested in the future of our braided rivers. See the calendar for details or check the district committees’ pages for the latest, as dates and venues change read on… |
Waimakariri River Regional Park 2014-2015 Black-billed gull breeding: The Waimakariri River Regional Park (WRRP) consists of Environment Canterbury (Ecan) owned land between the stopbanks from Brooklands Lagoon to the Waimakariri Gorge. As stewards of the WRRP, the Ecan Parks team have actively engaged management strategies to enhance the breeding success of braided river birds in the lower Waimakariri River for the past six seasons, in support of DOC as the lead agency read on… |
Public Talk Tomorrow May 12th 7.30pm: Wetlands, drylands, mountains & islands: Join lizard specialist Dr Marieke Lettink on a tour of the South Island to meet some of its special inhabitants. This talk will also cover threats to reptile their survival and special conservation needs. Talk is being held at WEA, 59 Gloucester St., Christchurch. |
Outward Bound Scholarships: DOC is sponsoring five places for young conservation volunteers on an Outward Bound ‘Classic’ course in August this year. It is an amazing experience DOC and Outward Bound has to offer young conservation volunteers and a great way to thank them for their contribution. |