First Progress Report - 4. to liaise with other volunteers and contractors involved in the site
Others involved in care and use of the site include Auckland Council Parks, their contractors Wildlands Consultants and Ventia, Kaipatiki Project (KP) *, and an individual Animal Pest Control volunteer for the site.
UPDATE Wildlands recently conducted a weed-control operation i the Kaipatiki Esplandade Reserve, ie the downstream area to the estuary and coastal cliff, though we are not yet sure of the boundary of this Reserve. A follow-up operation is to take place shortly.
Wildlands staff will shortly be conducting their annual weed-control operation for Witheford Reserve. Wildlands Consultants' Acting Operations Manager for the area has maintained regular communication with us since advised of this Project, met onsite to view the Project area, and integrated our Trial area and other marked areas into their planning. Though it would be impossible, on these steep forested banks of dense understorey and ground cover, to locate and control all weed invasions in such a short time, it is good news that Kahili ginger will be less dominant on affected streambanks, fewer juvenile Tree privet will survive to replace native trees, and the threat of Phoenix palms will be reduced, and for a few weeks at least until the seedlings arise, we will see a reduction in Moth plant.
We are particularly pleased that Wildlands plan to cut down the almost-mature Bangalow palms, as it would be a great loss to have this invasive species, not observed on the site in 1999, multiply here to replace the nikau in a locally rare example of a streamside forest community lush with kiekie, diverse native ferns, vines and carex.
We have met onsite with the service delivery co-ordinator for Auckland Council Parks and the manager of Ventia's path maintenance operations in the reserve. They have approved our proposed Trial site and the completion of the cordon along its boundary with the Native Plant Trail, maintaining public access with a minimum of 1.2m width and defining the path to allow restoration of the habitat beside it.
Where there is not 1.2m of level ground, eg where rutting and erosion have occurred, we will liaise with Ventia through the Parks' Community Ranger to establish what area should be maintained as path.
It needs to be noted that in some areas, eg on the steep banks of diverse mature native vegetation above Maire Pool, the path was designed and built with less than 1.2m width between existing trees. To widen the path in such areas would jeopardise the integrity of vegetation and the stability of such banks, which receive heavy run off in winter from the even higher banks above them. However, these areas have tended not to be significantly widened by pedestrians, perhaps because on such steep banks pedestrians use the timber steps provided, often much less than a metre wide but perfectly comfortable, the closely adjacent vegetation providing a sense of security in case of a fall.
Herbicide use within the forest apparently sometimes occurs in response to Reserve user requests for weed control of the path. The entire path is never sprayed, only spot-spraying of weeds in the path, so the general absence of weeds throughout the path is presumably due to shade and trampling, not suppression of plants by spraying. We have asked to be advised of the history of herbicide spraying throughout the site in both Witheford and Kaipatiki Esplanade Reserves on the area currently identified by Reserve users as path, and of any future herbicide application, so we can evaluate
- the outcomes of non-chemical restoration interventions both in 1997-2000 and during this Trial
-the outcomes in areas where observed weed invasions were uncontrolled or incompletely controlled in 1997-2000
- the occurrence of new weed invasions - which speces, both weed and native, currently occur in the Native Plant Trail (wild regen forest), in the soft-surface bush path through the roadside forest further downstream (bordered on one side by planted native trees and on the other by wild regen streamside forest), and along the margins of both paths.
UPDATE In the area of the Tradescantia Zone defined for this Methodology Trial, ie opposite the Glenfield College tennis courts, Parks have arranged for suspension of spot-spraying of the path for the duration of this Trial.
We have also enjoyed meeting with the Animal Pest Control volunteer on site, and in a subsequent chance meeting on site shared our observations of karo-fruit hoarding:
https://inaturalist.nz/posts/24545-rats-hoarding-karo-and-karaka-fruit
Pestfree Kaipatiki assisted our RENH funding application with general advice, and will be included in reports. We are aware that they have an Animal Pest control programme in Witheford Reserve, and will avoid disturbing any traps or markers we encounter.
- Kaipatiki Project (KP) was known earlier in its history as "Kaipatiki Ecological Restoration Project" or KERP, an organisation formed in 1997 to restore the site of this current RENH Project. Unable to find suitable available premises for the fulltime office and field operations near the restoration site on Kaipatiki Rd in Glenfield, in late 1999 North Shore City Council provided KERP with a long-term base on the other side of Kaipatiki Bridge and estuary, in Lauderdale Rd and Lauderdale Reserve, Birkdale, where amongst their many activities they provide community education in sustainability and environmental restoration, co-ordinate animal pest control volunteers, host courses and meetings for restoration volunteers and groups, produce locally-ecosourced native plants for restoration projects, and direct site-based restoration projects in Hobsonville, Northcote and elsewhere.
KP also supervise casual (eg annual corporate or overseas visitor groups) volunteers daily, focusing their local hands-on restoration work on the forest surrounding Kaipatiki Stream's Western arm in Eskdale Reserve. Kaipatiki Project retains an interest in the history and well-being of the eastern arm of the stream in Glenfield.
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