On 19th November following the litter intelligence survey at Oreti Beach (as part of Sustainable Coastlines partnership with Aon New Zealand) and with the imminent arrival of rain, the group used the nursery education facilities to continue with their team building day. The group conducted the litter audit in a sheltered space, and celebrated with kai enjoying listening to the rain on the roof.
Bronwyn
Posted: 4 December 2024
Wendy from the Love Bittern Project travels and meets with individuals and community groups, providing them with on the ground support, information and resources to raise awareness, monitor and record Australasian bittern.
The Community Nursery hosted Wendy on Sunday 17 November 24 for a talk with 15 people attending and this was followed by a field trip at dusk to Bushy Point overlooking the estuary to listen for matuku/bittern booming. On the Saturday morning she had been out with Pete McClelland to Big Lagoon.
The talk focused on the nesting, breeding and feeding requirements for bittern, ie their ideal habitat and the plight of this bird in New Zealand (due to that wetland habitat being lost or degraded). Wendy had travelled the length and breadth of the country, spreading the message, imparting information and enthusing communities.
Unfortunately, we didn’t hear bittern that night but we are now much more equipped to search for this elusive bird and record any sightings in the future.
We did later manage to see a matuku in our paddock, but it was super-sized! A massive bittern, next to the Education Centre designed by Barry Smith, who with Ray, mowed a brilliant lifelike bittern into our paddock – only seen from the air, so friends Beatty and later Daniel managed to get a photo from the Stewart Island plane as they flew over our place recently.
You can read all about the project at https://lovebittern.com/ and thanks to Catriona Gower at Environment Southland for organising these events for Wendy in Southland.
Chris
Posted: 2 December 2024
Since my last post in early October 24 a LOT has happened! The Nursery volunteers have been working hard on Fridays to produce the plants we need for various community and private projects we are supplying plants to this and next year. Spring brings its unpredictable weather, mostly it seems, on a Friday! Good number of volunteers still arrive to support our efforts and we try to make it more comfortable by bringing some jobs like weeding pots inside the education centre. However, there is much more to be done outside so we hope the weather improves on Fridays soon.
The Jo Ogier exhibition is a huge success so if you haven’t been yet, don’t delay, its wonderful and everyone I speak to is in raptures about it. See details here - https://www.esgallery.co.nz/temporary-exhibitions
As well as growing plants we have supplied plants to schools in the Lumsden area, via Jenny Campbell and also supplied worms for Kindergarten worm farms!
Many of you will know Brian and I went away for 3 weeks recently during the busiest time of the Nursery, leaving Linda (and Ray) in charge. Linda does an amazing job organising volunteer Fridays and we also put in place a group of watering volunteers, though the weather provided most of the water over that time I believe! The Nursery watering takes between 1-2 hours to do the entire nursery so it is quite a commitment and we will again be looking for help over the Christmas holiday period.
Meanwhile we had new experiences in Taranaki, doing the Jigger trip from Taumarunui to Stratford – a great thing to do with friends – seeing the landscapes, vegetation and history of the Forgotten World railway. Then on to the Taranaki Garden Festival with its two garden trails (over 100 private gardens), sustainability garden trail and art trail as well as the natural features and walks of Mount Taranaki itself and surrounds including Rotokari Predator Fenced Reserve and the excellent Tawhiti Museum. All highly recommended!
As we got home the SERN trip went ahead on Saturday 16 November 24 and it was a very successful day – https://www.sern.org.nz/news/sern-spring-trip-2024-meandering-the-mataura-river/ and this was followed by the Great Matuku Muster - a workshop on the Sunday in our Education Centre an a night session in Bushy Point listening for bittern – lots of great information from Wendy - https://www.sern.org.nz/events/the-great-matuku-muster/. A full report on the day to come as well as an excellent recent opening for Kowhai Reach on Tuesday.
A date for your Calendar – The Christmas Break- up for the Nursery will be Friday 13 December 2024 – bring your best baking!!
Posted: 28 November 2024
Kia ora
Since opening the Nursery for spring we have had a run of atrocious weather on Fridays! However, that hasn’t deterred our loyal volunteers with between 15 and 20 hardy people coming to help out. Wet weather however, is not ideal as there are so many jobs to be done outside, but as much as possible is brought into the education centre, like weeding pots! There are a few signs of spring nevertheless – native Clematis is flowering beautifully and a few days ago a pair of paradise ducks and their ducklings walked right through the nursery and on to our pond! We are hoping that better weather arrives on a Friday soon!
In the meantime there are a number of exciting events coming up that you may be interested in. First off the block is a magnificent art exhibition by Jo Ogier at the Eastern Southland Gallery at Gore. We know, because we have seen it evolving over the last few years and the amount of work Jo has put into it is astounding and the quality of the work amazing. You don’t need to take my word for it – go and see it for yourself – the exhibition will run from 6 October to 16 February, with an artist talk by Jo on Sunday 6 October, more details here
On Tuesday 8 October Forest and Bird brings you a talk by Jo Hiscock a talk on Pitcairn Island, all welcome – details here.
On Saturday 16 November the annual SERN Field Trip – Along the Mataura - https://www.sern.org.nz/events/2024-sern-spring-field-trip-hear-the-vision-and-help-make-it-happen/. Booking needed for free bus.
Chris
A little bit more about the Jo Ogier exhibition by Marcella Geddes of the Eastern Southland Gallery
Jo Ogier Art Exhibition – He Wai Apakura – Te Ara Pounamu The River’s Lament – A Pathway of Treasures
This exhibition of paintings by prominent botanical and wildlife artist Jo Ogier has come about as result of a long-term research partnership between the Hokonui Rῡnanga and Eastern Southland Gallery. Jo has spent considerable time in the Gore area and has undertaken several exhibition and workshop projects with the Eastern Southland Gallery.
In recent years she has formulated an exhibition proposal which has been supported by the environmental team at Hokonui Rῡnanga. Research into the plant species specific to our well known mahika kai sites has been augmented by field trips with rῡnanga staff to look at the existing habitat of freshwater, bird and insect species. This work has culminated in the production of 26 major artworks that collectively link the natural habitats of our indigenous flora and fauna with archive-based information sourced through oral histories gathered from key kaumātua and other experts such as Brian Rance, Eric Edwards and Daniel Jack. The featured artworks not only explore the many species of flora and fauna that once defined Māruawai and the wider Mataura River Valley, but also incorporate their early names and associated locations.
During October and November, we are offering a range of school activities, programmes and adult workshops, led by well-known artists Jo Ogier, Janet de Wagt and Jacqueline Byars. These workshops are kindly supported by: Hokonui Rῡnanga, Gore District Council, Creative Communities NZ and Community Trust South. School visits and group tours of the exhibition can also be arranged with the Gallery. Group bookings essential.
Marcella Geddes
Eastern Southland Gallery, Gore
Posted: 2 October 2024
Over the last month we have had lots of plants leave the nursery for their new homes, notably for Kowhai Reach and Bushy Point Otatara. We have also had a Te Rere planting with plants supplied and taken down to site by James and Maree at Pukerau Nursery. Pukerau are still our very much recommended Native Plant Nursery for Southland so drop in on them if you have larger scale needs than we can supply, or for species we don’t grow.
The Otatara planting stories can be seen at the Otatara Landcare Group website at this link – https://www.otataralandcare.org.nz/news-events/bushy-point-planting-15-september-2024/
And https://www.otataralandcare.org.nz/news-events/bushy-point-otatara-school-planting-5-september-2024/
But, there is always lots of preparation for planting days so on Friday 13th September, our opening day there was lots of activity getting the Bushy Point plants out of the Nursery and onto site in preparation for the Sunday 15th planting. A few photos below of all the action at the Nursery. Now we have some room in the Nursery we will begin the new season’s plants on Friday mornings, but after winter there is a lot of weeding to be done and other Nursery tasks, so if you want to help out come along between 9am and noon, bringing some morning tea to share and we will get into spring!
A couple of events coming up you may be interested in – a talk by wildlife photographer Glenda Rees on Tuesday 17 September – click link and also get your name down for the SERN Bus trip around restoration sites on 16th November. The bus is free but bookings are essential to guarantee your place.
Chris
Posted: 16 September 2024
