Society Allocates J.S. Watson Grants

Forest and Bird, Issue 311, 1 February 2004, Page 45

Society Allocates J.S. Watson Grants

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Otanomomo co-ordinators.

—HAYLEY MEEHAN

—DAVID MCFARLANE

KEN

ine grants for conservation projects have been made announced by the J.S. Watson Conservation Trust administered by Forest and Bird. The Trust has been helping fund conservation projects beneficial to New Zealand’s endangered plants and wildlife since 1986. This year’s grants were allocated to: * Alisha Birkett of Auckland University to investigate the effects of habitat fragmentation on the molecular ecology of the Otago skink, Oligosoma otagense at Macraes Flat in Central Otago. ° Marieke Lettink of Otago University is studying the relative effects of predator removal versus habitat restoration on the lizard fauna of Kaitorete Spit, Canterbury. This study will provide important management information for the conservation of

lizards in New Zealand (see Forest & Bird, November 2004, p37). ° Jay McCartney of Massey University will study the status and behaviour of the Raukumara tusked weta Motuweta riparia, which was first discovered in 1995. Information from the study could help replenish populations of its closest relative, the Middle Island tusked weta Motuweta isolata which is highly endangered. ® Rachel McClellan will investigate the ecology of the nationally endangered short-tailed bats of Oparara Valley, Kahurangi National Park. Her aim is to obtain a baseline population estimate and gather information on home range, habitat use, diet, pollinating role, roosting ecology and threat of predation. ® Don McLean of Waikato University will observe the

dynamics and restoration of 35 native forest patches identified in the Protected Natural Areas Programme on the East Coast of the North Island (Turanga Ecological District). An increasing number of landowners are actively managing and restoring forest fragments and the research will be used to develop guidelines for this. Peter Reese of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand will continue to train people on the correct techniques of capturing and banding birds while obtaining information on the life history and movement of the more common bird species in Wellington. Prof. Peter Spellerberg of Lincoln University is looking at the potential of native shelterbelts and hedges to contribute to the conservation of our

native biota. Gabriela de Tezanos Pinto of Auckland University will investigate the population structure and genetic composition of coastal bottlenose dolphins in New Zealand. Understanding the population structure will enable the delineation of management units for conservation. Rose Thorogood of Auckland University will record the impact of food availability on the reproductive success of stitchbird (or hihi). This research will determine whether supplementary feeding of hihi, when the birds are introduced to new habitats, influences maternal behaviour, chick growth and development, and sex allocation.

Marlborough branch members visiting Te Para Nui wetland north of Blenheim. So far, 42 different birds have been reported from the swamp which is 80 percent managed by Fish and Game. Te Para Nui is an integral part of a chain of ecosystems in the lower Wairau plains, especially important for waterfowl, whitebait and eels. Only 3.4 percent of Marlborough’s original lowland wetlands still exist. Marlborough Branch assists with revegetation at 14 other sites on the Wairau Plains, the major feature being the Wairau Lagoons. — MICHAEL HARVEY, Marlborough Branch.

unedin Forest and Bird D is working jointly with the Department of Conservation to weed and restore a small forest south of Balclutha. The 36-hectare Otanomomo Scientific Reserve lies 10 kilometres from Balclutha on the road to the Catlins district. The reserve is regarded as an important remnant of alluvial lowland podocarp forest now rare in Otago. While the shaggy heads of rimu, kahikatea and matai still jut out above the forest canopy the remnant is under attack from a range of weeds. Curtains of Chilean flame creeper cloak and smother understorey species while other weeds — often garden escapees — are spread throughout. These include hawthorn, sycamore, elderberry, holly, flowering

currant and gooseberry. Dunedin Forest and Bird has a five-year contract with DoC to undertake a systematic weed control operation to restore the health of the forest. In conjunction with South Otago Forest and Bird, Telford Rural Polytechnic and other volunteers, work has begun tackling the weed threat. A network of tracks now crisscross the reserve, breaking it into workable blocks and allowing easy access to work sites. It is planned that plants will be grown from seed sourced in the reserve and used for restoration of the sub-canopy. The project was officially launched with the planting of several Olearia hectorii, an endangered tree daisy found in the reserve.