Newsletter #2
Hello everyone, Welcome to our second online newsletter. Firstly, thanks to Geoff Swailes for making a submission last week to ECan about the problems of recreational off-road vehicles on braided rivers. Geoff took away the impression that it was up to local communities to resolve the problem, ie it needs a bottoms-up rather than top-down solution. This means getting very active on the Zone Committees throughout Canterbury because they’re in the drivers’ seats. Meetings are open to the public – see Calendar of Events. Scrolling over the entry will bring up a brief ‘sticky note’. Clicking on the event will open a full-page, including a map of the catchments of each Zone Committee. Locations for each meeting vary, so you may have to click on a link provided to check. We all love our sports. I was an avid windsurfer and would have tried kite-surfing if I’d still lived in the tropics. Here in NZ, there are plenty of beaches where people can go kite-surfing without demanding the right to have a potentially devastating impact on the last few places inhabited by rare and endangered birds. Social education is the key, of course, but without advocacy and legislation, kite-surfing will add to the ‘death by a thousand cuts’ for braided river wildlife, something several of us will be talking about at a consultation meeting between the Hearing Panel, kite surfing representatives and bird specialists in Rangiora Council Chambers, at 7pm 2nd June. I’ll let you know how it goes.  – Sonny Whitelaw, BRAid Manager (manager@braid.org.nz) |
Deadline for submissions – NZ Climate Change emissions reduction: What does this have to do with braided rivers? Everything. We are now ‘locked in’ to a rise in sea levels, affecting estuaries and coastal lagoons. Changing weather & ocean acidification also affects braided river birds. NZ will be setting emissions reduction targets in Paris later this year. We have failed abysmally in meeting our existing targets. Submit your thoughts by 5.00pm Wednesday 03 June, 2015. |
WANTED – PHOTOS of Russel lupin spreading on braided rivers! NZ Merino is putting together some protocols for Russell lupin. If you have any good photos illustrating the spread of lupins, especially into sensitive ecosystems, could you please send them to Frances Schmechel schmechf@gmail.com – Frances will forward them to NZ Merino. (PS, I would love copies as well: manager@braid.org.nz) |
Water Shortage Direction for Opihi River and tributaries The Direction requires Opuha Water Limited to maintain a minimum flow of 3.5 cubic metres per second in the Opihi River (at the Saleyards) when the lake is above 375 metres. The lake level is currently around 378.9 metres. More information… |
DOC: North Canterbury track updates latest track updates for North Canterbury, Banks Peninsula and Arthur’s Pass. Please forward these to you club members/networks etc. St James is now closed for 4WD vehicles for the winter and Packhorse Hut is closed for earthquake repairs. More information… |
‘Audubon International’:A cautionary word about any dealings with ‘Audubon International’, which is not affiliated with the US National Audubon Society. It is something else entirely – a third-party certification organisation funded entirely by the entities it certifies as ‘bird-friendly’ and ‘environmentally sustainable’: golf courses. |
WANTED – photos of an Alpine Gecko, and endemic braided river plants for use on BRaid’s website (click on the links to see examples). In some instances, I can get public domain photos from Wikipedia and other sources, that have limited or zero copyright, but it would be preferable to use yours if you are willing to gain nothing but credit and kudos. Email manager@braid.org.nz |
WANTED – links to videos I can use, of rats, stoats, possums, cats etc, preferably already on YouTube or another website that will allow me to embed a link from within pages I’m about to start making on BRAid’s website (see here and here (scroll down) as examples). Also would like any videos about conservation projects. Email manager@braid.org.nz |
BRaid’s next meeting: Just a reminder… |