Source: Northland Regional Council
Mōtatau Students learn to use stream testing kits
Northland Regional Council’s Land Management team has supported tamariki of Mōtatau School in their freshwater kaitiaki mahi through an event involving NRC, Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, and local landowner Waipapa Ahuwhenua Trust.
The team taught 35 children to use the council’s Stream Health Monitoring Assessment Kits to test water quality in waterways on the Ahuwhenua Trust’s property in Opahi.
The kits can be used to check nitrogen and phosphorous levels, water clarity, and the types and quantity of fish and insects present.
The initiative was the brainchild of Waipapa Ahuwhenua Trust farm manager Riki Ngakoti, who wanted to equip the youngsters to be the freshwater kaitiaki of tomorrow as part of the trust’s commitment to environmental kaitiakitanga.
Climate Change Commission to come to Northland
The Climate Change Commission is planning a visit to Northland in March as it gathers evidence to inform the government on shaping a National Adaptation Plan due out this year.
The commission is keen to understand climate risks, as well as enablers and barriers to effective adaptation in a Northland context.
The Northland Regional Council’s climate team is looking forward to hosting the commission and to be able to put forward the unique challenges and opportunities we face here in Northland.
Predator Free Whangārei; new artificial intelligence-equipped traps
The field team had a busy month reinstating the leghold trap network that was shut down over the Christmas break.
Fifty traps installed along a Parua Bay barrier zone have regularly caught possums over the 100 nights they have been set and 120 possums have been caught to date.
The Nook project area (686 ha) moved from an initial knockdown stage to mop-up, where the frequency of checking is extended on the back of reduced possum numbers.
An additional 500ha of coastal farmland has moved into the knockdown phase utilizing new artificial intelligence (AI) equipped traps. We will have a keen eye on the results of these devices as they automatically transmit their data, with 42 possums removed since early January.
