Throughout a very busy March, Ulrike came to volunteer at our place. She adapted brilliantly to all the tasks at hand. As well as the Nursery, March is a busy month for harvesting home grown produce and so jobs included picking and juicing apples, picking and baking with blackberries, foraging elderberries and making elderberry and chocolate truffles, baking bread – as well as nursery activities, helping out with school groups, planting native plants. All done with an infectious enthusiasm and bright smile. We will miss you Ulrike!
Posted: 31 March 2014
A busy month has seen visits from Takoma High school from Washington State USA, Georgetown Kea and Cub groups (plant hunting and planting), Otatara School (bush walks, plant identification and potting seedlings), Home schoolers (pond dipping and bug hunting), Surrey Park Early Childhood Centre (sensory scavenger hunt and plant bingo).
On 14 March the Farm Forestry Association held their AGM in the Education Centre and on Saturday 15 March we hosted the Landcare Groups Networking Day with 48 people attending from across Southland.
Since the Nature Centre opened in November 2013 there have been over 500 visitors to the property (excluding the regular Friday morning volunteer sessions)
Posted: 31 March 2014
A new skill is taught by Linda at the Nursery - felt making!
Posted: 17 February 2014
In February, World Wetlands day was celebrated with Gorge Road school children at the Community Nursery.
The group was accompanied by Mark Oster, Enviromental Educator, with a range of activities in the new Education Centre and in the Rances created wetland on the property. Pond life and introduced pests were the main topics with story telling and discovery (even a rat caught in a trap!).
Posted: 17 February 2014
During January and February there are lots of jobs to be done around the property, as well as the nursery on Fridays. Jack from Christchurch came in his “Rolling Home” to help pot and plant in early January and Laura and Beatty, from Auckland got stuck into lots of jobs while staying here in January and February. Jobs included covering fruit trees to deter birds, nursery work, track maintenance and making new tracks, extracting pine nut kernals, picking fruit, jam making, felt-making as well as some R&R - biking and fishing!
Posted: 17 February 2014
