Canterbury Biodiversity Summer Update Hi everyone, this newsletter is to keep you up to date on what’s happening with Environment Canterbury Biodiversity funding and to hear about some of the great projects that are going on. As we all get back into the swing of things here at Environment Canterbury, now is a timely reminder to check on your plants as the heat of the summer dries out the ground and take its toll. The intense heat and weed competition can dry out plants quickly so it is important to keep them well watered and weeded, especially in the first few years. It is also time to begin thinking about ordering plants for this years’ planting. Biodiversity innovation in South Canterbury The South Island common skink is now on the threatened species list due to the rate of its decline on the Canterbury plains. Herpetologist Hermann Frank is leading lizard habitat restoration in South Canterbury and support and awareness for the cause is increasing. Rangitata farmer Ross Grant responded to Hermann’s plea to retain local biodiversity and has set aside some of the stones from his farm to set up skink sanctuaries. He arranged for Hermann to trap and move skinks before stones on his property were shifted. Over a period of 12 months, 100 skinks were rescued through trapping and shifting of stone piles. In late September, Hermann coordinated a team of volunteers to plant one of the sanctuaries at Fitzgerald Timaru District Council road reserve. Plants were obtained through an Immediate Steps grant from the Canterbury Water Management Strategy Orari-Opihi-Pareora Zone Committee and eco-sourced from a local nursery. Plantings were designed to provide cover and food for the skinks and deliberately sparsely planted to avoid excessive shading. Some of the species in the stone mounds are Muehlenbeckia ephedroides, Melicytus alpinus and silver tussock. The plants attract insects and also provide food for native moths the skinks feed on. Volunteers also transported about 15 trailer loads of stones to Otipua wetland to create a lizard habitat near the walkway. Ken Elliott spends around 10 hours a week volunteering his time in Otipua wetland and is currently planting the new lizard habitat. The Otipua Wetlands Charitable Trust is hoping to set up several of these sites throughout the wetland and they will also undertake pest control. Several skink have been relocated to the wetland, but the sanctuary sites have not been yet been stocked. Pit Road Reserve, a 23-hectare old gravel pit near Geraldine is currently being managed by the Timaru District Council as the largest lizard sanctuary in South Canterbury. Mike Davies, one of the local volunteers, undertakes regular pest control to give the resident skink population a helping hand and the council co-ordinates weed control with help from volunteers. Hermann believes farmers may have opportunities for lizard habitat restoration around their farm storage ponds. Some of the stone screes that settle around the outside edges of the ponds are the right size to provide habitat for common skinks, if the area is not excessively shaded. They can be managed using the right plants and potentially restocked with skinks living nearby. Maintaining Riparian Planting – weed & pest control post-planting With any planting plan maintenance must be factored in. This will help protect the investment you have made, identify any problems early on and ensure your plants will survive and grow as fast as possible. Regular maintenance in the first 2-3 years will reduce time spent later on and can be easily worked into other weed and pest management on your property. Post-planting weed control Plants should be kept free of grass and weeds for two years after planting. To assist with plant survival:  Apply mulch where practical to retain the moisture and suppress weeds.  Check plants regularly and weed around the base of plants using a sharp grubber.  If using chemicals to control weed growth be extremely careful not to contact the plant. Protect with a spray shield or place bucket over the plant before spraying. Combi-guards also help protect plants from spray drift. If the chemical contacts a plant wash off with water immediately and/or remove affected leaves. Post-planting pest control    Control for pests particularly when other food sources are low (early spring, late autumn). Monitor plants for any signs of browsing and undertake control immediately if signs are seen. If using rabbit repellant sprays these need to be reapplied as per label instructions, and after any persistent heavy rain. For information on how to treat specific weeds look here http://ecan.govt.nz/publications/Pages/weed-month-common.aspx Our Changing World RNZ National Programme – Braided River Birds The Our Changing World programme on National Radio will air a program on Braided River Birds after the 9pm news, Thursday the 20th February – that’s tonight! This programme has people from Environment Canterbury talking about the benefits and the difficulties of managing the habitat of some of our most threatened species. Our Changing World is a great programme if you haven’t heard it before you can check out past shows here http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld Or this episode http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/20140220 Braided River Bird – breeding season At this time of year many of our endangered braided river bird species have just finished breeding on the braided rivers of Canterbury. Environment Canterbury’s Park Rangers have put together this video to help highlight the plight of these iconic species. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrZYQjJUHaQ&feature=youtu.be Comments on process/questionnaire Currently an operational review of the Immediate Steps programme is being undertaken by the Biodiversity Team. This seeks to highlight any areas we would improve on or things that work. If you have any comments on the contracting process or what we could do to make the programme run better, please let us know. You can send comments through to our Team Leader [email protected] **Funding for Biodiversity Projects** Funding is still available for biodiversity projects. Projects that focus on protection or restoration of the natural character of existing habitats and ecosystems are highest priority. If you have a biodiversity project that you would like funding or advice for contact our biodiversity team on [email protected] or check out our website for more information http://ecan.govt.nz/advice/biodiversity/pages/default.aspx If you don’t wish to receive these updates please reply to this email with “unsubscribe” in the heading or email [email protected] QEII/BPCT/TAK reps/ TA liaison, please distribute to grant recipients  Kind regards, Mimouk