Newsletter #91
Top image: Wetland on the true left of the Te Awa o Tukua Havelock River below Fan Stream from Upper Rakaia Weed Strategy 2024-2029 p109.
Tēnā koutou,
Firstly, don’t forget that you can to see the 2024 Braided Rivers seminar presentation here. I’ve also added the presentations to web pages, for example, the presentation weeds is on, you guessed it, the main weeds’ page.
A few weeks ago you may have read about the sharks off Brazil testing positive for cocaine. That got me thinking back to a book I read years ago on the physiological and behavioural impact of artificial chemical compounds on wildlife, and I recalled this article on the effect of cocaine on European eels in rivers. I’m not suggesting our rivers are full of cocaine, but you have to wonder what behavioural effects that forever chemicals and toxins may be having on our fish and birds. I mention this because I had just finished reading A review of freshwater models used to support the regulation and management of water in New Zealand which concluded:
“Water modelling in New Zealand is fragmented, under-resourced, under-supported and lacking leadership. Gaps, overlaps, inefficiencies and inconsistencies plague the use of modelling to support regulation and management of freshwater.”
If you don’t have time to read the report, take a few moments to look at the online storymap.
On some unrelated braided rivers news, but couldn’t help sharing, I’m being regularly treated to a musical wake up call around 7.15am each morning by an unusual (but wonderful) visitor out here in Oxford:
Bird Surveys
- Please remember to send me your bird surveys. These are added to each of the river pages on the website. which helps researchers and community groups when they’re looking back over past years to discern trends.
News
- Applications are now open for the Predator Free Communities Programme. Successful communities receive up to $5,000 in funding. Applications are open until 18 August.
- Applications for the Waitaha Action to Impact Fund are open until midday Monday 02 September.
- WWF Grant applications will be open as of tomorrow 15 August – 15 September.
- Biosecurity Bonanza: 10 free Webinars Monday 19 to Friday 23 August: Due to the continued success of our virtual Biosecurity Bonanza series over the years, we are returning in 2024 with the same bite-sized webinar sessions over the course of a week that will cover weed biocontrol and predator control research updates from our scientists across the country.
- The Selwyn Waihora Zone Committee will be making recommendations to Environment Canterbury during 2024-25 on how to allocate $50,000 of funding to help implement the Committee’s Action Plan. Environment Canterbury makes the decisions and administers the funding.Have a project that will help improve water management, enhance biodiversity, or engage the community about water management and would like to apply for some funding? If so, please review the Guidance document, and if eligible, send a completed application form to Jaimee Grant, Zone Facilitator (Jaimee.grant@ecan.govt.nz). Applications close 13 September 2024.
Applications close 13 September 2024. The Zone Facilitator will advise applicants of the outcome by the end of 2024. - The solar farms and the bird factory – The Press
- Robots with lasers killing weeds – Newsroom
- Farming lobby pushes to declaw ‘the meat of the RMA’ – Newsroom
- Shy stoats avoid tripping traps – Scimex
- Water zone update soon; ‘…these included the Hurunui and Waiau braided river birds programme, the Waiau Toa Clarence River project, the Ashley Rakahuri rat project and the Ashley Rakahuri / Waimakariri dune wetland project.‘ – Otago Daily Times Online News
- EDS 2024 Conference: see video recordings of all 9 sessions and 3 breakout sessions.
- EDS 08 August 2024: Interview with Simon Watts, Climate Change Minister
Reports
- Waimakariri River control and monitoring plan for Karoro/Southern Black-backed Gull (Toroa Consulting PDF)
- Rangitata River Gull Control Operation 2023 (High Country Contracting)
- A review of freshwater models used to support the regulation and management of water in New Zealand; Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, 26 July
- Upper Rakaia Weed Strategy 2024-2029 (Boffa Miskell/LINZ)
Research
- 2024: Harris et al; Multiscale ecological resilience in braided rivers, CH8 in ‘Resilience and Riverine Landscapes’, First Edition, 2024
- 2024: Grunfeld et al; Underestimated burden of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in global surface waters and groundwaters, Nature Geoscience 17 pp340-346 (open access)
- 2024: van de Pol et al; Sea-level rise causes shorebird population collapse before habitats drown, Nature Climate Change 14 pp839-844
Donations
BRaid is an Incorporated Society (No: 2453663) with Charitable Status (Registration Number CC50089). Membership is free but donations are much appreciated. Donations can be made to BRaid Inc. Account number: 01 0877 0818466 00. Please include your name in the reference line and ideally email us, so that we can thank you and send you a receipt. Donations are tax deductable citing our NZ Business Number 9429043210572.
