Forest and Bird hosts regional meeting
Local and national conservation issues were the focus of Forest and Bird’s Top of the South Island Regional Meeting, held last weekend at Pohara with over 30 members, including regional and national staff, in attendance.
The major conservation issues for the organisation continue to be marine reserves, pest eradication, biodiversity conservation and water degradation.
Though it was too early to comment on the new Government’s policies, Forest and Bird deputy national president Barry Wards pointed out that for the current Government the environment did not appear to have a high priority, and many of the former government programmes were being dismantled, with unknown results.
Mr Wards also said regional meetings were invaluable for “two-way communication” between branches and staff.
“It’s important for the branches to get together to make inroads into regional issues as a group rather than as individual branches, and the regional field officers assist that process. On a national level, we all need to work together so that we are heading in the same direction and putting national issues into a general perspective.”
While F&B staff kept the meeting’s national focus sharp, the Bay’s branch members offered a rich palette of local morsels. Meeting organiser Jenny Treloar lined up interesting speakers such as Geoff Rennison, who talked about the Abel Tasman National Park and “The Hippie Years”, and Chris Petyt, who spoke on seabird mitigation. Jo-Anne Vaughan and team introduced Golden Bay projects: the Mangarakau Swamp, Streamcare and Weedbusters, and science teacher and naturalist Garry Lewis impressed the audience with an introduction to his Royal Society fellowship project and the presentation of his three-hour footage of creatures in the wild.
Field trips included a walk with Shannel Courtney over his covenanted property at Pohara, a visit to The Grove to marvel at limestone formations and rata trees, and a trip to the “affordable housing project” for Blue Penguins at Tarakohe Harbour. For those willing to get out of bed in the early hours of the morning, the excursions to watch the rise of the spotted shags at Tata Beach were a particular highlight.
Mrs Treloar said that the three Top of the South branches—Marlborough, Nelson/Tasman and Golden Bay—take the regional meetings in turns.
“We chose Pohara this time for the logistics, and because it is rich in places to visit and full of history. What people absolutely loved were the spotted shags; that really made their weekend. They were raving about it. The first morning there were some 1300 shags on the beach.”
Another bonus was the use of the Pohara Boat Club and the conference dinner put on for fundraising purposes by the Waka Ama Club, added Mrs Treloar.
Ina Holst
