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News Update - September 2007
Launch of Friends of Pomona
On 1 September Mayor of Southland Frana Cardno launched our Friends of Pomona scheme. Sixty volunteers and their families, as well as existing financial supporters of the Trust, set off for a cruise, courtesy of Real Journeys, around both Pomona and Rona Islands. The morning started off fine, but by the time we reached Pomona Island the Fiordland rain had set in. However, this did not affect the launch as all guests were warm, dry and well-fed inside the Fiordland Flyer!
After a short cruise across Lake Manapouri, Real Journey's skipper Andrew parked the boat just off the Eastern flank of Pomona, where Viv Shaw, Secretary of the Trust, gave a brief overview of the achievements of the Trust. Mayor Frana Cardno, then, officially launched Friends of Pomona. Frana congratulated the Trust on the work completed so far to eradicate introduced pests from the island, noting 'that the Pomona Island Charitable Trust is a great example of the community taking the lead in preserving our natural environment'. She said that this was a significant conservation project 'like those already being undertaken on Ulva and Secretary Islands'. Frana was so impressed with 'the work and passion' of the Trust that she became the first Friend of Pomona, signing up right there on the cruise.
Alan Seay, External Media Adviser, said a few words on the support given to the Trust by the Meridian Energy Manapouri Te Anau Community Fund specifically to launch the Friends of Pomona scheme. 'A clear message was given to the Community Fund that conservation projects should be a top priority for funding and we are delighted to support this community-led project which is doing a good job of promoting environmental awareness in Fiordland and is making a real difference to the quality of the environment' said Alan.
The Trust acknowledged that the eradication of pests from Pomona could not have been achieved without the fantastic support provided by the Department of Conservation. Murray Willans, Biodiversity Manager for DOC in Te Anau, also congratulated the Trust on the work already undertaken on Pomona noting 'that a lot had been achieved in a very short space of time' and that DOC 'is pleased to continue to support this worthwhile community-led project which will see very real conservation gains'.
Immediately after the formal speeches regular volunteers Chris Shaw and Hunter Shaw (no relation!) cracked open the bottles of bubbly and toasted the work of the Trust to date. A leisurely cruise right round Pomona Island gave guests a feel for the size and terrain on the island. The rain and wind combined to demonstrate why Hurricane Passage, to the north of Pomona is aptly named! Having had a good look at Pomona we headed over to Calm Bay to take a look at Rona Island. Andrew, the skipper, took us right up close and many of us were fortunate to see a pair of shags nesting in the trees on top of Rona Island.
Displays of photographs showing all aspects of work completed so far on Pomona, as well as demonstrations of our new quarantine equipment to keep the island pest-free kept guests entertained as we headed back to Pearl Harbour.
This was a great opportunity for the Trust to say thank you to everyone who has helped us over the last two years as well as to launch the Friends of Pomona scheme. Several guests on the cruise have already signed up as Friends and we hope that many more people will support our on-going work on Pomona and Rona Islands.
The Friends of Pomona Scheme
The Friends of Pomona scheme has been set up to help raise funds for our on-going work to restore Pomona and Rona Islands. Friends will receive regular news updates and an annual report and will be contributing directly to the survival of flora and fauna native to Fiordland by helping the local community to restore New Zealand's largest island in a lake. Individuals can become a Friend of Pomona for just $25, with Family Friends paying $35 and International Friends (those living outside New Zealand) $40. A special page on our website is being set aside to list all of our corporate Friends. For $100 including GST corporate Friends can show the local community and visitors to Fiordland that they are supporting this exciting conservation project. We have made it easy for people to become Friends and make donations by accepting payment by cheque or by credit card. Full details of the scheme and the benefits of membership can be found in our Friends brochure which can be downloaded from our website.
A BIG thank you to everyone who helped make the launch of Friends of Pomona a success.
Other News
Whilst our big news for this update is the launch of Friends of Pomona, there has still been a lot of other activity on and off the island.
Second Aerial Drop Completed
On Saturday 18 August the weather finally improved enough for us to undertake our second aerial drop of brodifacoum to eradicate rats and mice from Pomona and Rona Islands. We successfully scrambled a team of volunteers at 24 hours notice and headed out once again to blitz the rodents. The team of 11 volunteers met at Supply Bay at 8.00am and were joined shortly afterwards by Southwest Helicopters who ferried volunteers, equipment and bait to Westmere, our loading site.
Many of the volunteers were the same people as for the first drop, so this was a well-oiled operation. Following a safety briefing, everyone slotted into their roles really easily. As for the first drop, Rona was targeted first followed by a check of the DGPS data showing that the spread of bait was going to plan. Just as we were about to start the operation on Pomona there was a slight concern as a few drops of rain began to fall. The pilot was heard to say 'what do we do now?', but Nick Torr, our volunteer Operations Manager, was unconcerned and said 'we should just carry on as normal'. This was clearly the right decision as the sky cleared very quickly and the bait was all well protected from the very small amount of rain that fell. In fact the weather was a distinct improvement, in terms of temperature, from the first aerial drop. After the minor rain shower all volunteers at the loading site were bathed in sunshine for the rest of the operation. There were definitely no complaints of chilblains after this drop!!
As with the first drop, this operation went very smoothly with excellent bait coverage on both Pomona and Rona Islands. Bruce Fraser, from the Southland Times, covered the event and has provided the Trust with some great pictures of this second aerial drop. As a result of Bruce's presence this second aerial drop received good publicity in the Southland Times on Wednesday 22 August.
We would again like to thank our anonymous benefactor and the Community Trust of Southland for providing the necessary funding for us to complete the rodent eradication programme on Pomona and Rona Islands. Our thanks also go to all the volunteers who helped on the day, especially Nick Torr, our Operations Manager. DOC again provided superb support to the operation in the form of Gerard Hill (loading supervisor), Brenton Wilson (IT specialist) and Murray Willans. Determining the timing for the second poison drop was particularly challenging due to changeable weather. But thanks to Alistair Pearce for keeping us up-to-date with the latest weather forecast and ensure that we did not go ahead with the operation when conditions were marginal.
New Quarantine Measures
A week after the second drop a team of 8 volunteers headed over to Pomona Island, complete with a TVNZ film crew (more on this later), to check the bait distribution on the ground, check the stoat traps and to put in place our new quarantine measures.
First the good news! This was the very first time that we have completed a trap check on Pomona and found no - that's right no - pests in the traps. Everyone was delighted with this result and initial signs are looking good that the aerial drop has taken its toll. However, it is still early days and we will need a few more working bees with empty traps before we can confidently say that we have eradicated the rats from the island.
Whilst it was exciting to complete our first pest-free trap check, the main purpose of this working bee was to put in place our new quarantine measures. What exactly do we mean by this? Well now that Pomona and Rona Islands are hopefully rodent free, we need to ensure that it stays that way. Quarantine measures are, therefore, put in place to monitor potential rodent re-invasions and hopefully to prevent rats and mice re-establishing on the islands. So here is an overview of what we are doing on the islands and also ways in which you can help us keep Pomona and Rona Islands rodent-free.
We have put out a number of bait stations and rat and mouse motels on both Pomona and Rona Islands. The bait stations contain bait, laced with brodifacoum, and should be attractive to any rodents that get back onto the islands - the idea is that they eat a fatal amount of the bait. The rat and mouse motels contain both poison bait and rat and mouse traps as well as bedding. They have been made particularly attractive so that any rat or mouse that gets back onto the islands moves into the motel, has a ready food supply, laced with brodifacoum, and does not leave the motel alive! These motels have been placed at key sites where there is the greatest risk of re-invasion. In addition, to the bait stations and motels we have placed wax chew sticks at each stoat trap location. Rodents and possums are attracted to the sticks by peanut butter and will bite into the wax. From the teeth marks left we can identify what kind of animal has been present in the area. These chew sticks will, in the short term, help us to identify whether we still have any possums left on Pomona following on from the possum trapping operation.
In addition, signs have been placed at the key landing sites on both islands telling people that the islands are pest-free and what checks they should undertake before setting foot on the islands.
So what are the most likely sources of rodent re-invasion?
There is always a risk, no matter how small, that pests can re-invade an area from which introduced predators have been removed. Even sanctuaries with predator-proof fences suffer re-invasions from time to time. Although water is a great natural predator-proof 'fence', one of the risks of re-invasion is by swimming. We know that stoats can swim so we will always maintain a stoat trap network on Pomona and Rona Islands and on the mainland adjacent to Pomona. These should catch any stoats that do swim across. They are also likely to catch any rats that get back onto the island. The risk of rats swimming to Pomona or Rona is considered to be low, because of the distance from the mainland and the cold temperature of the water. A greater risk, however, is the accidental re-introduction or rats and/or mice by humans. It is well known that rats and mice can get onto boats and inside packs (mice especially).
We have introduced new quarantine measures for people going to Pomona and Rona Islands. In the future if you come on a working bee you will be asked to check your gear before you leave home to ensure that you have no unwanted pests with you. Before we leave Pearl Harbour you will again be asked, by the working party supervisor, to check your gear before being allowed on the boat. All boats carrying volunteers to the island will have a bait station on board, primed with poison, to reduce the risk of rodents living on the boats and then running ashore once we land. Please follow the instructions of the working party supervisor so that we can all play our part in minimising the risk of rodent reinvasion on both Pomona and Rona Islands.
In addition to these measures, the Trust is also embarking on an education campaign to inform boaties of these new quarantine measures. This includes a quarantine brochure which is available on our website. We are also talking to boat clubs so that we can get the message out to as many of the users of Lake Manapouri as possible. If you know anyone who goes onto Lake Manapouri, and especially anyone who might go over to Pomona or Rona Islands, please remind them that the islands are now assumed to be pest-free and ask them to help us keep them that way.
It is also worth remembering that we are not just trying to keep Pomona and Rona Islands free of animal pests, but also plant pests. So the new quarantine checks are also designed to ensure that no-one takes plant seeds or other debris onto the islands. For this reason checks on boots, gaiters and pockets will also be necessary to prevent unwanted plants from becoming established on either island.
We really appreciate the input from all members of the public to help us keep Pomona and Rona islands free of pests.
Pomona Publicity
Since our last news update the Trust has had some great coverage in the media. In addition to the great feature on our second aerial poison drop in the Southland Times in August, there has been a lot of coverage on the launch of Friends of Pomona. Articles and/or photographs have appeared in the Otago Daily Times, Southland Times (2) and Southland Express (2). Attention has been focussed on Frana becoming our first Friend and also on the changing focus of the Trust from eradicating pests to maintaining the islands free of pests. Our secretary Viv was also interviewed for the local news segment on More fm Southland.
Earlier in this news update we mentioned that a TVNZ crew accompanied us on a recent working bee. As part of the new freeview digital service being developed by TVNZ, some programmes will contain no adverts. Instead there will be a focus on conservation projects throughout New Zealand. So at some stage in the future there will be a four minute slot on this new channel highlighting the restoration work on Pomona Island. We are hoping that we will be able to obtain a copy of the film to post on our website and will keep you posted on this and also a likely screening date. In the mean time thanks to Viv, Hunter and Rosie who appeared on camera for this short film.
News of the work we are doing on Pomona is certainly getting around the country and in August we received a lovely letter from the Honorable Chris Carter MP, Minister of Conservation. In the letter he 'personally congratulated all the people involved with the Pomona Island Charitable Trust on the excellent progress you are making in the restoration of Pomona Island'. He also noted that the Trust and its members 'are a model example of community conservation at its very best'. Mr Carter also hopes to visit the island when he is next in the area. It is great that the Trust's hard work is acknowledged at this high level - thank you to everyone who has helped us in any way over the past two years.
And finally …….
The Trust would like to congratulate our Secretary Viv Shaw on her recent appointment to the Southland Conservation Board - well done Viv!
News Update - September 2007
Launch of Friends of Pomona
On 1 September Mayor of Southland Frana Cardno launched our Friends of Pomona scheme. Sixty volunteers and their families, as well as existing financial supporters of the Trust, set off for a cruise, courtesy of Real Journeys, around both Pomona and Rona Islands. The morning started off fine, but by the time we reached Pomona Island the Fiordland rain had set in. However, this did not affect the launch as all guests were warm, dry and well-fed inside the Fiordland Flyer!
After a short cruise across Lake Manapouri, Real Journey's skipper Andrew parked the boat just off the Eastern flank of Pomona, where Viv Shaw, Secretary of the Trust, gave a brief overview of the achievements of the Trust. Mayor Frana Cardno, then, officially launched Friends of Pomona. Frana congratulated the Trust on the work completed so far to eradicate introduced pests from the island, noting 'that the Pomona Island Charitable Trust is a great example of the community taking the lead in preserving our natural environment'. She said that this was a significant conservation project 'like those already being undertaken on Ulva and Secretary Islands'. Frana was so impressed with 'the work and passion' of the Trust that she became the first Friend of Pomona, signing up right there on the cruise.
Alan Seay, External Media Adviser, said a few words on the support given to the Trust by the Meridian Energy Manapouri Te Anau Community Fund specifically to launch the Friends of Pomona scheme. 'A clear message was given to the Community Fund that conservation projects should be a top priority for funding and we are delighted to support this community-led project which is doing a good job of promoting environmental awareness in Fiordland and is making a real difference to the quality of the environment' said Alan.
The Trust acknowledged that the eradication of pests from Pomona could not have been achieved without the fantastic support provided by the Department of Conservation. Murray Willans, Biodiversity Manager for DOC in Te Anau, also congratulated the Trust on the work already undertaken on Pomona noting 'that a lot had been achieved in a very short space of time' and that DOC 'is pleased to continue to support this worthwhile community-led project which will see very real conservation gains'.
Immediately after the formal speeches regular volunteers Chris Shaw and Hunter Shaw (no relation!) cracked open the bottles of bubbly and toasted the work of the Trust to date. A leisurely cruise right round Pomona Island gave guests a feel for the size and terrain on the island. The rain and wind combined to demonstrate why Hurricane Passage, to the north of Pomona is aptly named! Having had a good look at Pomona we headed over to Calm Bay to take a look at Rona Island. Andrew, the skipper, took us right up close and many of us were fortunate to see a pair of shags nesting in the trees on top of Rona Island.
Displays of photographs showing all aspects of work completed so far on Pomona, as well as demonstrations of our new quarantine equipment to keep the island pest-free kept guests entertained as we headed back to Pearl Harbour.
This was a great opportunity for the Trust to say thank you to everyone who has helped us over the last two years as well as to launch the Friends of Pomona scheme. Several guests on the cruise have already signed up as Friends and we hope that many more people will support our on-going work on Pomona and Rona Islands.
The Friends of Pomona Scheme
The Friends of Pomona scheme has been set up to help raise funds for our on-going work to restore Pomona and Rona Islands. Friends will receive regular news updates and an annual report and will be contributing directly to the survival of flora and fauna native to Fiordland by helping the local community to restore New Zealand's largest island in a lake. Individuals can become a Friend of Pomona for just $25, with Family Friends paying $35 and International Friends (those living outside New Zealand) $40. A special page on our website is being set aside to list all of our corporate Friends. For $100 including GST corporate Friends can show the local community and visitors to Fiordland that they are supporting this exciting conservation project. We have made it easy for people to become Friends and make donations by accepting payment by cheque or by credit card. Full details of the scheme and the benefits of membership can be found in our Friends brochure which can be downloaded from our website.
A BIG thank you to everyone who helped make the launch of Friends of Pomona a success.
Other News
Whilst our big news for this update is the launch of Friends of Pomona, there has still been a lot of other activity on and off the island.
Second Aerial Drop Completed
On Saturday 18 August the weather finally improved enough for us to undertake our second aerial drop of brodifacoum to eradicate rats and mice from Pomona and Rona Islands. We successfully scrambled a team of volunteers at 24 hours notice and headed out once again to blitz the rodents. The team of 11 volunteers met at Supply Bay at 8.00am and were joined shortly afterwards by Southwest Helicopters who ferried volunteers, equipment and bait to Westmere, our loading site.
Many of the volunteers were the same people as for the first drop, so this was a well-oiled operation. Following a safety briefing, everyone slotted into their roles really easily. As for the first drop, Rona was targeted first followed by a check of the DGPS data showing that the spread of bait was going to plan. Just as we were about to start the operation on Pomona there was a slight concern as a few drops of rain began to fall. The pilot was heard to say 'what do we do now?', but Nick Torr, our volunteer Operations Manager, was unconcerned and said 'we should just carry on as normal'. This was clearly the right decision as the sky cleared very quickly and the bait was all well protected from the very small amount of rain that fell. In fact the weather was a distinct improvement, in terms of temperature, from the first aerial drop. After the minor rain shower all volunteers at the loading site were bathed in sunshine for the rest of the operation. There were definitely no complaints of chilblains after this drop!!
As with the first drop, this operation went very smoothly with excellent bait coverage on both Pomona and Rona Islands. Bruce Fraser, from the Southland Times, covered the event and has provided the Trust with some great pictures of this second aerial drop. As a result of Bruce's presence this second aerial drop received good publicity in the Southland Times on Wednesday 22 August.
We would again like to thank our anonymous benefactor and the Community Trust of Southland for providing the necessary funding for us to complete the rodent eradication programme on Pomona and Rona Islands. Our thanks also go to all the volunteers who helped on the day, especially Nick Torr, our Operations Manager. DOC again provided superb support to the operation in the form of Gerard Hill (loading supervisor), Brenton Wilson (IT specialist) and Murray Willans. Determining the timing for the second poison drop was particularly challenging due to changeable weather. But thanks to Alistair Pearce for keeping us up-to-date with the latest weather forecast and ensure that we did not go ahead with the operation when conditions were marginal.
New Quarantine Measures
A week after the second drop a team of 8 volunteers headed over to Pomona Island, complete with a TVNZ film crew (more on this later), to check the bait distribution on the ground, check the stoat traps and to put in place our new quarantine measures.
First the good news! This was the very first time that we have completed a trap check on Pomona and found no - that's right no - pests in the traps. Everyone was delighted with this result and initial signs are looking good that the aerial drop has taken its toll. However, it is still early days and we will need a few more working bees with empty traps before we can confidently say that we have eradicated the rats from the island.
Whilst it was exciting to complete our first pest-free trap check, the main purpose of this working bee was to put in place our new quarantine measures. What exactly do we mean by this? Well now that Pomona and Rona Islands are hopefully rodent free, we need to ensure that it stays that way. Quarantine measures are, therefore, put in place to monitor potential rodent re-invasions and hopefully to prevent rats and mice re-establishing on the islands. So here is an overview of what we are doing on the islands and also ways in which you can help us keep Pomona and Rona Islands rodent-free.
We have put out a number of bait stations and rat and mouse motels on both Pomona and Rona Islands. The bait stations contain bait, laced with brodifacoum, and should be attractive to any rodents that get back onto the islands - the idea is that they eat a fatal amount of the bait. The rat and mouse motels contain both poison bait and rat and mouse traps as well as bedding. They have been made particularly attractive so that any rat or mouse that gets back onto the islands moves into the motel, has a ready food supply, laced with brodifacoum, and does not leave the motel alive! These motels have been placed at key sites where there is the greatest risk of re-invasion. In addition, to the bait stations and motels we have placed wax chew sticks at each stoat trap location. Rodents and possums are attracted to the sticks by peanut butter and will bite into the wax. From the teeth marks left we can identify what kind of animal has been present in the area. These chew sticks will, in the short term, help us to identify whether we still have any possums left on Pomona following on from the possum trapping operation.
In addition, signs have been placed at the key landing sites on both islands telling people that the islands are pest-free and what checks they should undertake before setting foot on the islands.
So what are the most likely sources of rodent re-invasion?
There is always a risk, no matter how small, that pests can re-invade an area from which introduced predators have been removed. Even sanctuaries with predator-proof fences suffer re-invasions from time to time. Although water is a great natural predator-proof 'fence', one of the risks of re-invasion is by swimming. We know that stoats can swim so we will always maintain a stoat trap network on Pomona and Rona Islands and on the mainland adjacent to Pomona. These should catch any stoats that do swim across. They are also likely to catch any rats that get back onto the island. The risk of rats swimming to Pomona or Rona is considered to be low, because of the distance from the mainland and the cold temperature of the water. A greater risk, however, is the accidental re-introduction or rats and/or mice by humans. It is well known that rats and mice can get onto boats and inside packs (mice especially).
We have introduced new quarantine measures for people going to Pomona and Rona Islands. In the future if you come on a working bee you will be asked to check your gear before you leave home to ensure that you have no unwanted pests with you. Before we leave Pearl Harbour you will again be asked, by the working party supervisor, to check your gear before being allowed on the boat. All boats carrying volunteers to the island will have a bait station on board, primed with poison, to reduce the risk of rodents living on the boats and then running ashore once we land. Please follow the instructions of the working party supervisor so that we can all play our part in minimising the risk of rodent reinvasion on both Pomona and Rona Islands.
In addition to these measures, the Trust is also embarking on an education campaign to inform boaties of these new quarantine measures. This includes a quarantine brochure which is available on our website. We are also talking to boat clubs so that we can get the message out to as many of the users of Lake Manapouri as possible. If you know anyone who goes onto Lake Manapouri, and especially anyone who might go over to Pomona or Rona Islands, please remind them that the islands are now assumed to be pest-free and ask them to help us keep them that way.
It is also worth remembering that we are not just trying to keep Pomona and Rona Islands free of animal pests, but also plant pests. So the new quarantine checks are also designed to ensure that no-one takes plant seeds or other debris onto the islands. For this reason checks on boots, gaiters and pockets will also be necessary to prevent unwanted plants from becoming established on either island.
We really appreciate the input from all members of the public to help us keep Pomona and Rona islands free of pests.
Pomona Publicity
Since our last news update the Trust has had some great coverage in the media. In addition to the great feature on our second aerial poison drop in the Southland Times in August, there has been a lot of coverage on the launch of Friends of Pomona. Articles and/or photographs have appeared in the Otago Daily Times, Southland Times (2) and Southland Express (2). Attention has been focussed on Frana becoming our first Friend and also on the changing focus of the Trust from eradicating pests to maintaining the islands free of pests. Our secretary Viv was also interviewed for the local news segment on More fm Southland.
Earlier in this news update we mentioned that a TVNZ crew accompanied us on a recent working bee. As part of the new freeview digital service being developed by TVNZ, some programmes will contain no adverts. Instead there will be a focus on conservation projects throughout New Zealand. So at some stage in the future there will be a four minute slot on this new channel highlighting the restoration work on Pomona Island. We are hoping that we will be able to obtain a copy of the film to post on our website and will keep you posted on this and also a likely screening date. In the mean time thanks to Viv, Hunter and Rosie who appeared on camera for this short film.
News of the work we are doing on Pomona is certainly getting around the country and in August we received a lovely letter from the Honorable Chris Carter MP, Minister of Conservation. In the letter he 'personally congratulated all the people involved with the Pomona Island Charitable Trust on the excellent progress you are making in the restoration of Pomona Island'. He also noted that the Trust and its members 'are a model example of community conservation at its very best'. Mr Carter also hopes to visit the island when he is next in the area. It is great that the Trust's hard work is acknowledged at this high level - thank you to everyone who has helped us in any way over the past two years.
And finally …….
The Trust would like to congratulate our Secretary Viv Shaw on her recent appointment to the Southland Conservation Board - well done Viv!
Launch photos courtesy of Graham Dainty
Following 3 images courtesy of Bruce Fraser
