Monday, August 2nd, 2010 - White Flippered Penguins and Willowbank Reserve

Monday morning and afternoon were left to class decision, and our gang decided they wanted to try to see White Flippered Penguins that were rumored to be nesting off the Banks Peninsula.  Mark contacted a scientist working with this endangered species.  With permission and tips on how to see them, we were off to see what we could see.  Despite rain, we worked our way over to the surfer's beach and batches at Taylor's Mistake and set off along the Godley Head Track.  

Mark took some time to explain that because this particular species of penguin only nests in this one spot and off a small island off the coast of this area, the Center for Biological Diversity (based in California) who petitioned to have several species of penguins listed as endangered because of global warming issues included the White Flippered Penguin on the list.  Our adventure took us through a predator fence (still being erected) and down a long steep ladder to a rocky coastline where nest boxes had been constructed along a 200 meter stretch of the coastline to help facilitate both nesting and scientific observation/study.  

We carefully peeked into the next boxes along the stretch of coastline and were able to see a total of six penguins!  An amazing and surreal experience for all!

Monday evening we experienced Willowbank Reserve.  Willowbank cares for New Zealand wildlife that occurs both naturally in the country as well as species that are part of the country's history (i.e., species that were introduced by colonists over time).  Some of these species are domestic such as chickens and horses, others have become pest species such as wallabies and possums.  The park seeks to educate residents and visitors as to the heritage and challenges New Zealand's animal species bring to the table.  Our nighttime tour also included native New Zealand species where we saw our first Tuatara, Kiwi, and Morepork.

An additional tour was to experience Ko Tane - a Maori cultural performance.  We all had a wonderful time, and our gals got to give Poi a go and 

our guys got to give the haka a go as part of the show.  

Experiencing the strong and beautiful singing voices of the women and a true Haka were, again, amazing experiences.  

Following our tours we had dinner at Willowbank and had a chance to thank Colin, Tupelo, Jamm and Meryl for their assistance with the course, and of course the students for their enthusiasm and sense of adventure for making the course a success.

P.S.  It is lambing season on the Banks Peninsula and the hills are alive with the sounds of baby lambs.

July 31st Washpen Falls- Meurky Walk

The group at the top of Washpen Falls - a bit windy!

Today we took a hike at Washpen Falls in Canterbury.  Washpen Falls got its name indirectly from sheep.  European farmers thought that their wool would sell better in England if it was washed.  Therefore, before the sheep were shorn, the sheep got a bath in the creek.  Pens were built in the creek and voila – Washpen Creek!   The hike is on a farmer’s property that not only includes a working farm, but a beautiful gorge that is covered in both native and exotic vegetation.  It was a bit blustery this day with a norwester blowin’ but we donned on our gear and headed up the track.  Lots of Bellbirds were singing around us as we hiked up the trail. 

The gorge was once used by the Maori to trap and kill the giant moa.  They would herd these giant, flightless birds into the gorge and killed them with spears.  Along the trail were several large lava boulders that were blown from volcanic activity 89 million years ago.  Also along the way, we saw several white circles painted on the canyon walls by the late Tom Stone.  These targets were used by the home guard for training during World War II.

Our intrepid scientist, Dr. Colin Meurk, identified a number of different plant species along the trail.  One of these plants were beech trees (genus Sophora), which are endemic to New Zealand.  The trees we passed where covered with a black velvety fungus called Sooty Mould.  In the Sooty Mould there were hundreds of hairlike projections, each with a drop of liquid on the end.  This liquid is sweet honeydew, which is a mixture of sugars excreted by small, scale insects (Homoptera) that feed on the sap from the trees. .  All of us tried a little of this liquid – good even with the knowledge it is the excrement of a small insect! Honeydew feeds a number of different species including bellbirds, lizards, tuis, and bees.  Bees use this liquid to make a unique honey called Honeydew honey.

Washpen Falls

Irina licking some honeydew off of a beech tree.

Kristin giving here best troll face.

July 28, 2010- How to change the world

Dr. Will Allen was born on a small family farm on the North Island of New Zealand. Little did he know that on July 28th, year 2010, he would give a talk that would change the lives of 10 American students. He titled it "Solutions for Creating a Sustainable Culture." All joking aside, it was a very informative talk. We learned many things about the way that people make decisions and changes in their lives. It is not possible to create change in a community that is disjoint. When one side of the community wants to build a ditch to prevent flooding and save their houses, they don't understand when environmentalists say no because it will harm fragile freshwater habitats. Talking with and educating the people of a community about the environmental issues is as important as discovering researching the issues themselves. In the photo above we see our teacher acting the veritable Vanna White while Dr. Allen explains how everyone has a different idea of what a sustainable culture would look like. In one group activity, Dr. Allen told us to write down 10 words that defined conservation to us and then to share them with our group. We are in comparable studies, but no group came up with one similar word to define conservation. So if people with similar mindsets can't define this the same way, how would we expect a whole community to do so? The message sent here today was that we have a long way to go to become a sustainable culture, but that hopefully one day, it will actually be possible. So these 10 American students left with a higher knowledge and an even greater longing to change the world.

Kira

Banks Peninsula Conservation

Today we met Pam Richardson, a landowner in Pigeon Harbour (Banks Peninsula). She is living proof that the community can make a lot of change when it does its share. She has many hectares of land on which she grows crops and raises sheep and cattle. What she also does on this land, which seems to be a rare contribution so far among landowners in that area but a very admirable one, is populate the hills with native plants. The pastures across the harbor and most that I have seen here in New Zealand are either infested with gorse or completely bare with no plant life but grass. Pam and her family have planted natives all over the hills and they are taking really nicely to the land. The shrubs and trees provide shade for the grazers and shelter from the wind as well as restoring the biodiversity back to New Zealand. Pam is part of the Conservation program and takes part in many discussions about different plans for Banks Peninsula. There are only fifty people living in that region which is why it is so important for the landowners to all share their ideas with each other and spread knowledge. The hope is that as more people hear this method of conservation and see it implemented, they will follow along. It was really cool to see the sheep ultrasound images when they were checking to see if they were pregnant with one or two. We also got to see a mussel farm there and they showed us the different kinds of wool, and the picture included is of a Keruru, or New Zealand Wood Pigeon. Later in the day we went to Birdling's Flat and saw sand dunes; the beach is so beautiful.
Katie Black

Thursday July 22nd Rainy Day Lectures and Visit to Addington LID Project

Kia ora koutou,
     Today started off with two lectures at Landcare Research. Our first lecture was from Dr. Dean Anderson on mammal pests in New Zealand.  He discussed how a lot of the pest mammals were introduced by British Acclimatization Societies to help make New Zealand feel more like the home country. Pest animals include possums, deer, rodents, etc...and non-mammals like Canadian Geese, certain fish and some reptiles. Current methods of control include 1080 bait drops and trapping. Dr. Anderson stressed the fact that biological research and technology need to advance new (and hopefully more "humane") ways to eradicate and/or control the pests for successful future preservation and restoration of New Zealand's unique biodiversity.  Robert Watts presented our second lecture on Christchurch waterways. The city was built on a swamp and waterway management originally consisted completely of drainage projects. Mr. Watts has been instrumental in convincing the city council to use a values-based approach to waterway management and shown by the example of Corsers Stream how natural treatment and day-lighting of waterways is an asset; costs less to maintain (and sometimes develop); and increases the value of the property.  
         After lunch at Lincoln, we traveled to Addington, a suburb of Christchurch.  Peter Wehrmann showed us how the city retrofitted an existing, dilapidated subdivision with different styles of experimental rain gardens to create an LID (low-impact design) development. It was interesting to see the differences between American-style rain gardens and Kiwi-style which result from different management preferences and different ecological challenges. The project also included a green corridor to help treat, reclaim, and transport stormwater in an artful way that becomes an amenity and also helps educate the community.   

Lastly, we went to see the Addington Bush and Mike Peters of the Addington Bush Society. In the early 90's, a group of neighboring landowners decided to all donate a piece of their connecting backyards to create a small bush reserve. Through great debate and hands-on learning, they created a now-protected reserve in the middle of the city. It's a wonderful example of how enthusiastic and hardworking people can recreate biodiversity out of vegetable plots and turf. No one in the group had any substantial knowledge in the subject originally! Though they are mostly in a management stage now, they hope to continuing introducing native plants and begin to monitor the wildlife that also uses the area. All in all it was a very educational day. The next three days are free time for the group, with five of us going to Queenstown and Milford Sound and the rest taking day trips from Lincoln including activities like skiing and rock climbing!
A tōnā wā e hoa.

Arohanui,
Ashley

July 21, 2010

Kia Ora!
     Our day started off early with a trip into Christchurch for a few presentations. Our first stop was at Environment Canterbury, or ECan, for a talk with Wayne McCallum, the Regional Biodiversity Coordinator. His presentation revolved around the Canterbury Biodiversity Strategy (http://www.canterburybiodiversity.org.nz/). Wayne discussed why there was a cascading order of biodiversity strategies and how they are used in their projects. What stood out the most to me was how ECan has been able to get the community involved in everything they do. Hopefully we can have the same community involvement and enthusiasm back home!

     Once we finished at ECan, we headed to the Christchurch City Council offices for a few more presentations. First up was Trevor Partridge, who spoke to us about managing biodiversity in urban areas. He talked about the regulatory framework and governance structure behind planning in the city. It was made clear that implementing biodiversity projects is not an easy process. Zoe Dewson spoke to us afterwards about managing waterway biodiversity in the city. In the past, Christchurch waterways were primarily managed for the comfort of its residents. Now they are managed for multiple values: ecology, landscape, recreation, heritage, culture, and drainage. This change in management practices results in higher biodiversity and better water quality. The overall message I got from today's lectures was that projects that aim to increase biodiversity require a lot of planning and community involvement.

      After dinner, Mark drove us into Lyttleton to watch a local band, The Eastern Family, at a place called Wunderbar. It was a really cool and funky bar that looked as if it used to be a thrift store. The entire band wasn't performing but the music was still great. We even bought their album! Altogether, it was a fun way to end the day.

The Eastern Family

-Dania

July 20 - Kaikoura Day 2

After breakfast we headed off for another full day of activities.  Half of us went whale watching under beautiful clear skies and calm waters, 

while the other half set out to see more seals and learn about the Hutton's shearwater project where a predator-free colony is being established to help ensure survival of this bird species that has only two breeding locations left in all of New Zealand.  

We all met up at lunchtime to share experiences and explore the town of Kaikoura before heading back to Lincoln.

Sunday, July 18 - Quail Island

We took the ferry from Lyttelton Harbor to Quail Island to take part in a work day.  We certainly eared our tea as we helped relocate silver tussock from areas where it would not grow well (under forested areas) to hilltops where it will thrive.  It was hard work carrying the transplants uphill, but rewarding to know that our efforts will help with native plant restoration efforts on the island as it continues to transform in the years to come.

Saturday, July 17 - Graham's Farm, Christchurch Natural History and Art Museums, Botanical Garden

In the morning we visited a non-so typical NZ farm.  Graham's farm of fruit trees sports all the latest high-tech, energy-wise gadgets from the U.S.A. - solar panels that power his home, led lighting, a windmill, Stirling Engine fan on the wood stove in the kitchen, etc. He even collects rainwater for all his home water use (i.e., drinking, flushing toilet, and showering).  We enjoyed our lesson that there is much we can all be doing in our own country to be oil independent and low impact on our environment.  We also really enjoyed feeding Jr who was born just a week earlier, and having tea with Graham and his wife, Karen.  Special thanks to both for their warm hospitality and for Karen's yummy baked goods.

In the afternoon, we explored the Christchurch Natural History and Art Museums and then toured the NZ native plants and urban native planting demonstration gardens at the Botanical Gardens with Colin.

Friday, July 16 - Lecture at Lincoln Uni

We got to sleep in! Dr. Hostetler lectured to us and 20 Lincoln University students about creating green communities during the late morning and then we all enjoyed some much needed free time after lunch.

July 13 to 15 - Banks Peninsula/Akaroa/Hinewa

Overview map of the Banks Peninsula with Hinewai Reserve circled.

Just 20 years ago, this area was farmland with only 4% old-growth native trees.  Today, Tui have been reintroduced into this 1,250 hectare reserve and native vegetation is thriving.

Looking down on into Akaroa Harbor from atop the Banks Peninsula.

Loaded down with tons of food from the Lincoln Uni lunch ladies, we headed out to the Banks Peninsula for our three day field trip to Hinewai Reserve.  Again, we were thankful for beautiful weather. Stops along the way on day one included Lake Ellesmere to see black swans; 

Little River to take in some local NZ artists and have morning tea; 

lunch at the  Onawe Flat atop lava rocks and exploration of the sea life there; 

and snooping around in a few of the shops in the French settlement of Akaroa. In the mid-afternoon, we headed over to Hinewai Reserve to get settled in - set up our bunks, learn about the pee and poo loos, start the wood stove to keep us warm, and prepare dinner.  That night, we had bed time stories from botanist and author, Hugh Wilson, and hunted snipe.

Wednesday was spent hiking the reserve. Everyone completed the 4.5 hour top to bottom trek past the old totara, and through upland beech forest, riparian habitat with tree ferns along creeks, and kanuka/podicarp forest to the beach where we had lunch, looked for paua shells and watched reintroduced tuis in awe.  Five of us braved the two hour trek back up the bank while the rest of us drove back to the lodge at Hinewai.

Thursday started cold, wet and windy with low clouds hugging the mountain and limiting visibility.  

The best laid plans to take the scenic drive around the crater rim of the extinct volcano which formed the banks peninsula were not a total loss as there was some clearing as the day wore on.  We did go down to Okains Bay to explore the Maori and Colonial Museum, then the beach where an old cheese making factory used to be until a tidal wave flooded the valley in 1863.  

We stopped again in Litter River for afternoon tea before ending the day with a beautiful sunset at Birdlings Flat where we looked through beautiful sea-polished rocks along the shore.