We were very lucky to enjoy a clear and calm night for our Matariki celebrations! We celebrated the end of one productive year and look forward to another successful season. A night walk with Lloyd looking at the brilliance of the stars was a highlight of the evening. Within the comparative “warmth” of the education centre – swede lanterns were being carved and hazel brooms made for sweeping away the old year. Then a shared supper with mulled wine completed the evening.
Some of the photos below would form a great “caption competition” – send any suggestions to Chris!
Posted: 21 June 2015
On a very cold Tuesday 16th June, 34 students, 3 teachers and parent helpers from St Josephs School in Invercargill
came to the Community Nursery. The students were studying “people affecting natural resources” and for social studies “roles in the community of people who care and are doing something about it”. Here at the Nursery we concentrated on bush clearance and growing native plants to restore areas back to nature. The Community Nursery provides a great place to learn about restoring a paddock back to bush, creating habitat for birds and other creatures and practical activities for seed collecting and sowing and how to grow new plants. Lloyd Esler lead groups around the restoration areas and Chris lead seed lessons in the Education Centre, with assistance from Kari Beaven and Gretchen Leddington from DOC. The children learned how to identify different native trees and how to grow new plants. Chris asked the question “what do seeds need to grow”? - the answer from one student was “soil, light,
water and LOVE” – you just can’t get a better answer that that!
Posted: 21 June 2015
SGHS teacher Lynley King, once again brought her science class to the Nursery and Education Centre. The girls were learning about different native plants but also the role of “community groups” in conservation. The focus of this visit was walking around the ponds and bush, learning new plants and learning about collecting, cleaning and sowing native seeds. Previous visits have also included planting, establishing monitoring plots measuring growth rates of plants and weed control and it is great to have continuing relationship with SGHS here and at Bushy Point.
Posted: 11 June 2015
Teacher Jena Young organised three Otatara School classes to visit the Community Nursery to study seeds and native plants. The three groups of 30 students were split in half and Lloyd Esler lead a group around the pond and bush tracks searching for seeds and looking at native plants. Lloyd related many stories which kept the children enthralled despite the arctic weather conditions!
Meanwhile inside the Education Centre Chris lead some seed collecting, seed cleaning and leaf identification activities with the help of Bronwyn and Kari. We were impressed by the children’s knowledge of seeds, the way seeds are distributed, the seasons, leaf characteristics and the questions the students asked about seeds, plants and the nursery. At the end some seeds were sown in the nursery and each student was given their own Manuka seeds to sow at home. Thanks to the teachers and parent helpers who came along to help.
Posted: 11 June 2015
Fifteen people attended the Weedbusters workshop held in the Education Centre on a chilly Sunday. The weather put paid to any outside demonstrations but Randall Milne (ES), Graeme Miller and Lynne Huggins (DOC) and Janet Gregory (Landcare Trust) gave good practical advice on busting weeds. Particular weeds were brought up by participants – the “favourites” being Darwin’s barberry, Chilean flame creeper, Cutty grass, Aluminium plant, Bittersweet, Blackberry, Muehlenbeckia, Elderberry, Sycamore, Ivy, Grey willow, Periwinkle, Gunnera, Selaginella, Old man’s beard, Cotoneaster, Gorse, Broom, Tutsan. Techniques for all were discussed, new products promoted and funding options explored. Click to see more detailed workshop notes.
Posted: 2 June 2015
