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News Update - July 2007
So much has happened since the last news update that it is difficult to know where to start! So we'll start with the most exciting news first....
Aerial Action
In the last news update we were still awaiting confirmation of our resource consent to undertake an aerial application of brodifacoum to eradicate rats and mice from Pomona and mice from Rona Island. Consent finally came through on 8 May 2007, which was very tight for the final deadline for ordering the bait. With funds secured from the Community Trust of Southland and a very generous anonymous benefactor the Trust could now achieve its aim of eradicating rodents from Pomona this year. Weather permitting.............
So the bait was duly ordered, the helicopter company was contracted to do the drop and volunteers were lined up to be ready at 24 hours notice. Weather forecasts were studied daily for the ideal weather conditions for an aerial drop. A decision was made on 5 July that the first aerial application on Pomona and Rona would take place on Sunday 8 July. Amid all the excitement there was a lot of hard work still to be done - interested parties had to be notified, adverts placed, all the equipment for the drop had to be got ready, volunteers briefed and the bait loaded on to trucks to be taken to the helicopter loading site at Supply Bay.
The day of the drop dawned bright and clear, but extremely cold. In all just under 4 tonnes of bait and 12 people were ferried by helicopter to our bait loading location at Westmere (close to both Pomona and Rona Islands). In amongst the beautifully frozen trees everyone worked calmly but quickly to set up the bait loading station and then the aerial bombardment of rats and mice began. Volunteers worked under the guidance of Nick Torr, an experienced rat eradicator. Nick has worked on other eradication projects throughout New Zealand and was keen to volunteer his time on a project in his own neighbourhood. Peter Garden from Southwest Helicopters was the chief pilot for the operation and also has a lot of experience of eradication programmes in New Zealand and overseas. So with Peter hovering over the loading site, volunteers emptied bags of toxic bait into a bucket attached to the helicopter. Once Peter had flown away to drop the bait, volunteers had about 15 minutes to get the next load ready. Working under a helicopter was a new experience for many of us, but safety was paramount. Everyone wore protective safety gear which made us all look as though we came from another planet!
Modern technology in the form of Differential GPS was used to ensure good, even coverage of the bait on both Pomona and Rona Islands. At the end of the day everyone was able to see maps showing exactly where the bait had been spread. In all the operation took about 7 hours from start to finish including getting the site cleared up at the end of the job. Everyone worked hard on the day to ensure that the first aerial application was a complete success. It is also important to acknowledge the invaluable support the Department of Conservation has given to the Trust (thanks Murray). Te Anau Office provided the bait loading supervisor (Gerard) , IT support (Brenton), all the safety gear as well as the loading equipment. Without DOC the job would have been much more difficult for us, as a community group, to achieve and also much more expensive.
For the aerial drop we were also fortunate to have people out on the lake putting up poison warning signs and a photographer to take shots of the operation from the ground, the air and from the water (see the great shots alongside this news update).
So with the first aerial application completed all eyes were back on the weather. We needed to have at least 5 days without rain following the drop to give the rats and mice maximum exposure to the bait. Our luck held and we have had well over 10 days without rain on the islands - and who says it always rains in Fiordland?!!
A ground check on the condition of the bait was carried out on Pomona a few days after the drop and the bait was looking in good quality with good coverage right across the island.
This was the first of two drops so once the weather settles back down again we'll be doing the whole operation all over again. So watch this space ...............
Possum and Deer Eradication
Whilst the aerial operation may seem to be the most exciting pest eradication project in our restoration of Pomona Island, eliminating other pests is no less important.
Prior to the aerial drop the Trust aimed to remove as many possum and deer as possible from the island. Possum work, with funding from Transpower, started in May with volunteers helping a professional contractor to set out possum trap lines. The contractor then spent time on the island servicing the traps daily and dealing to the possums which were caught. In addition, Feratox bait bags have been placed along the trap lines. Over 430 possums were trapped in total, the high number surprising the Trustees. It is no wonder that Pomona Island has been described by our Patron, Prof. Alan Mark, as ravaged. Volunteers also helped to dispose of the possum carcasses.
This was only the first phase in the possum eradication project as it is highly unlikely that we have trapped every last possum at this stage. Some of the possums will be eliminated by eating the brodifacoum bait, but there is a high chance that some animals will still remain on the island. We will therefore complete a more intensive trapping regime later in the year and use possum dogs to find the very last possum.
Deer were also targeted before the aerial drop by using a professional contractor and volunteers. So far this year 4 deer have been shot - 2 stags and 2 hinds. There are likely to be another couple of animals on the island, but these should be hunted down by experienced hunters with their dogs in the near future. There is always a danger that deer can swim back to Pomona. For that reason we have a deer pen up and running and hunting will be an on-going activity.
Stoat Update
Monthly trap checks have continued with 3 stoats in June and an amazing 5 stoats in July on Pomona - the thinking here is that food supplies are reduced now that it is winter and the traps have become more attractive to the stoats. Rat numbers are well down with 7 in June and 9 in July. We are desperately hoping that these are the last rats that we will trap on Pomona given that we have now completed our first aerial drop. This brings are total tally to 16 stoats and 312 rats on Pomona.
Stoat numbers on the mainland remain high with 3 stoats caught in May and a whooping 13 in July. A further 7 rats were trapped in May and only 2 in July showing again that rat numbers are on the decline. The total count for the mainland is 37 stoats, 72 rats and 2 mice.
Rona Island remains free of rats and stoats.
Although we expect to catch no more rats, there is always a risk that stoats may swim to Pomona. For this reason we will continue to do regular stoat trap checks. If you would like to be notified of future working bees please email pomona.island@ihug.co.nz to be added to our volunteer email list.
Pomona in the News
Over the last few months the Pomona Island Charitable Trust has featured in the media a number of times with articles in the Southland Times, Fiordland Focus and Otago Southland Farmer. Our work has also been mentioned on Radio New Zealand twice in interviews with Chris Wilkie, a local artist, who spent time on Pomona over the summer. Chris has had two exhibitions featuring his paintings inspired by Pomona Island in Invercargill and Wellington. A number of Trustees and Pomona volunteers attending the Opening Night of his 'For the Birds' exhibition in Invercargill, at which Chairs presented the Trust with a sketch of the island. Thanks Chris.
The Trust was also nominated for the Environment Southland Community Group Environment Awards. Although we did not win, we did receive a Highly Commended certificate recognising the work we have done so far. Thank you to all volunteers who have helped us - we would not have achieved so much in such a short timescale without you.
Funding for Pomona
Applications to funding bodies continue to be made to finance the restoration of Pomona Island. Whilst completing forms can be time-consuming, it is great to receive news of a successful grant. The Trust has secured a significant grant from the Meridian Energy Manapouri Te Anau Community Fund to develop a 'Friends of Pomona' scheme. This funding allows us to set up a programme which allows locals and visitors to the area to support the conservation work of the Trust. We are currently working on a brochure and plan to launch the scheme in the next few weeks. A special newsletter will be sent to all our current supporters once the scheme has been formally launched.
Since the last news update we have also been fortunate to receive significant financial support from two further anonymous benefactors who have contributed to the costs of deer and possum eradication on Pomona.
Changing Focus
Now that we have made significant progress in eradicating all five pest species from Pomona and Rona Islands, the Trust is starting to change its focus to keeping the islands pest free. We will need your help to maintain Pomona and Rona free of pests. From now on anyone visiting the islands will need to make sure that they do not, unintentionally, re-introduce pests, especially rats and mice, to Pomona and Rona. A leaflet can be downloaded from the website outlining how you can help us to protect Pomona and Rona Islands. If you would like more copies of the leaflet please email us at pomona.island@ihug.co.nz.
Regular checks will be made for signs of pest re-invasion. Once Pomona and Rona Islands are declared free of pests, we aim to re-introduce bird species native to Fiordland such as saddleback, Fiordland brown kiwi, mohua and robin. With so many pest now eliminated from the islands we should notice increased numbers of birds already present such as tomtit, bellbird, tui, brown creeper and grey warbler.
News Update - July 2007
So much has happened since the last news update that it is difficult to know where to start! So we'll start with the most exciting news first....
Aerial Action
In the last news update we were still awaiting confirmation of our resource consent to undertake an aerial application of brodifacoum to eradicate rats and mice from Pomona and mice from Rona Island. Consent finally came through on 8 May 2007, which was very tight for the final deadline for ordering the bait. With funds secured from the Community Trust of Southland and a very generous anonymous benefactor the Trust could now achieve its aim of eradicating rodents from Pomona this year. Weather permitting.............
So the bait was duly ordered, the helicopter company was contracted to do the drop and volunteers were lined up to be ready at 24 hours notice. Weather forecasts were studied daily for the ideal weather conditions for an aerial drop. A decision was made on 5 July that the first aerial application on Pomona and Rona would take place on Sunday 8 July. Amid all the excitement there was a lot of hard work still to be done - interested parties had to be notified, adverts placed, all the equipment for the drop had to be got ready, volunteers briefed and the bait loaded on to trucks to be taken to the helicopter loading site at Supply Bay.
The day of the drop dawned bright and clear, but extremely cold. In all just under 4 tonnes of bait and 12 people were ferried by helicopter to our bait loading location at Westmere (close to both Pomona and Rona Islands). In amongst the beautifully frozen trees everyone worked calmly but quickly to set up the bait loading station and then the aerial bombardment of rats and mice began. Volunteers worked under the guidance of Nick Torr, an experienced rat eradicator. Nick has worked on other eradication projects throughout New Zealand and was keen to volunteer his time on a project in his own neighbourhood. Peter Garden from Southwest Helicopters was the chief pilot for the operation and also has a lot of experience of eradication programmes in New Zealand and overseas. So with Peter hovering over the loading site, volunteers emptied bags of toxic bait into a bucket attached to the helicopter. Once Peter had flown away to drop the bait, volunteers had about 15 minutes to get the next load ready. Working under a helicopter was a new experience for many of us, but safety was paramount. Everyone wore protective safety gear which made us all look as though we came from another planet!
Modern technology in the form of Differential GPS was used to ensure good, even coverage of the bait on both Pomona and Rona Islands. At the end of the day everyone was able to see maps showing exactly where the bait had been spread. In all the operation took about 7 hours from start to finish including getting the site cleared up at the end of the job. Everyone worked hard on the day to ensure that the first aerial application was a complete success. It is also important to acknowledge the invaluable support the Department of Conservation has given to the Trust (thanks Murray). Te Anau Office provided the bait loading supervisor (Gerard) , IT support (Brenton), all the safety gear as well as the loading equipment. Without DOC the job would have been much more difficult for us, as a community group, to achieve and also much more expensive.
For the aerial drop we were also fortunate to have people out on the lake putting up poison warning signs and a photographer to take shots of the operation from the ground, the air and from the water (see the great shots alongside this news update).
So with the first aerial application completed all eyes were back on the weather. We needed to have at least 5 days without rain following the drop to give the rats and mice maximum exposure to the bait. Our luck held and we have had well over 10 days without rain on the islands - and who says it always rains in Fiordland?!!
A ground check on the condition of the bait was carried out on Pomona a few days after the drop and the bait was looking in good quality with good coverage right across the island.
This was the first of two drops so once the weather settles back down again we'll be doing the whole operation all over again. So watch this space ...............
Possum and Deer Eradication
Whilst the aerial operation may seem to be the most exciting pest eradication project in our restoration of Pomona Island, eliminating other pests is no less important.
Prior to the aerial drop the Trust aimed to remove as many possum and deer as possible from the island. Possum work, with funding from Transpower, started in May with volunteers helping a professional contractor to set out possum trap lines. The contractor then spent time on the island servicing the traps daily and dealing to the possums which were caught. In addition, Feratox bait bags have been placed along the trap lines. Over 430 possums were trapped in total, the high number surprising the Trustees. It is no wonder that Pomona Island has been described by our Patron, Prof. Alan Mark, as ravaged. Volunteers also helped to dispose of the possum carcasses.
This was only the first phase in the possum eradication project as it is highly unlikely that we have trapped every last possum at this stage. Some of the possums will be eliminated by eating the brodifacoum bait, but there is a high chance that some animals will still remain on the island. We will therefore complete a more intensive trapping regime later in the year and use possum dogs to find the very last possum.
Deer were also targeted before the aerial drop by using a professional contractor and volunteers. So far this year 4 deer have been shot - 2 stags and 2 hinds. There are likely to be another couple of animals on the island, but these should be hunted down by experienced hunters with their dogs in the near future. There is always a danger that deer can swim back to Pomona. For that reason we have a deer pen up and running and hunting will be an on-going activity.
Stoat Update
Monthly trap checks have continued with 3 stoats in June and an amazing 5 stoats in July on Pomona - the thinking here is that food supplies are reduced now that it is winter and the traps have become more attractive to the stoats. Rat numbers are well down with 7 in June and 9 in July. We are desperately hoping that these are the last rats that we will trap on Pomona given that we have now completed our first aerial drop. This brings are total tally to 16 stoats and 312 rats on Pomona.
Stoat numbers on the mainland remain high with 3 stoats caught in May and a whooping 13 in July. A further 7 rats were trapped in May and only 2 in July showing again that rat numbers are on the decline. The total count for the mainland is 37 stoats, 72 rats and 2 mice.
Rona Island remains free of rats and stoats.
Although we expect to catch no more rats, there is always a risk that stoats may swim to Pomona. For this reason we will continue to do regular stoat trap checks. If you would like to be notified of future working bees please email pomona.island@ihug.co.nz to be added to our volunteer email list.
Pomona in the News
Over the last few months the Pomona Island Charitable Trust has featured in the media a number of times with articles in the Southland Times, Fiordland Focus and Otago Southland Farmer. Our work has also been mentioned on Radio New Zealand twice in interviews with Chris Wilkie, a local artist, who spent time on Pomona over the summer. Chris has had two exhibitions featuring his paintings inspired by Pomona Island in Invercargill and Wellington. A number of Trustees and Pomona volunteers attending the Opening Night of his 'For the Birds' exhibition in Invercargill, at which Chairs presented the Trust with a sketch of the island. Thanks Chris.
The Trust was also nominated for the Environment Southland Community Group Environment Awards. Although we did not win, we did receive a Highly Commended certificate recognising the work we have done so far. Thank you to all volunteers who have helped us - we would not have achieved so much in such a short timescale without you.
Funding for Pomona
Applications to funding bodies continue to be made to finance the restoration of Pomona Island. Whilst completing forms can be time-consuming, it is great to receive news of a successful grant. The Trust has secured a significant grant from the Meridian Energy Manapouri Te Anau Community Fund to develop a 'Friends of Pomona' scheme. This funding allows us to set up a programme which allows locals and visitors to the area to support the conservation work of the Trust. We are currently working on a brochure and plan to launch the scheme in the next few weeks. A special newsletter will be sent to all our current supporters once the scheme has been formally launched.
Since the last news update we have also been fortunate to receive significant financial support from two further anonymous benefactors who have contributed to the costs of deer and possum eradication on Pomona.
Changing Focus
Now that we have made significant progress in eradicating all five pest species from Pomona and Rona Islands, the Trust is starting to change its focus to keeping the islands pest free. We will need your help to maintain Pomona and Rona free of pests. From now on anyone visiting the islands will need to make sure that they do not, unintentionally, re-introduce pests, especially rats and mice, to Pomona and Rona. A leaflet can be downloaded from the website outlining how you can help us to protect Pomona and Rona Islands. If you would like more copies of the leaflet please email us at pomona.island@ihug.co.nz.
Regular checks will be made for signs of pest re-invasion. Once Pomona and Rona Islands are declared free of pests, we aim to re-introduce bird species native to Fiordland such as saddleback, Fiordland brown kiwi, mohua and robin. With so many pest now eliminated from the islands we should notice increased numbers of birds already present such as tomtit, bellbird, tui, brown creeper and grey warbler.
Aerial operation photos courtesy of Tracy Tibbles
Aerial operation photos courtesy of Tracy Tibbles
Department of Conservation