ENVIRONMENT

During the second week of September, we carried out our quarterly pest monitoring to assess pest numbers. We were particularly interested to see the effects of our winter toxin programme.   We used three monitoring methods: tracking tunnels, chew cards and thermal imaging cameras. The results were mostly positive.  Across all three monitoring methods, we recorded…

Regular monitoring of beneficial creatures throughout the Living Springs site lets us know how we are doing with our conservation efforts  We are fortunate to work alongside Te Kākahu Kahukura (TKK), a voluntary, community-driven initiative that brings together private landowners, agencies, councils and organisations to restore native forests across the southern Port Hills. Their vision…

Wētā live a quiet life – hiding out during the day and coming out to feed at night. There are 100 different species in New Zealand, including the tree wētā   At Living Springs we commonly see two types of wētā: the Canterbury tree wētā (Hemideina femorata) and the cave wētā (Pleioplectron simplex). Tree wētā,…

As we head into an El Niño year, the potential fire hazard is front and centre of our minds. We are doing what we can to minimise the risk.  At Living Springs, we are preparing for the predicted El Niño weather pattern by prioritising grass clearance around trees planted this year and last year. We…