June 2022 Newsletter
Dear Friend of Bullock Creek,
Thank you very much for your continued support of Friends of Bullock Creek. Our last newsletter was in the spring and now that it is June, I would like to give you an update on what we have been up to.
Firstly, we held our Annual General Meeting in March at the barn in the Hatchery. Thank you for the great turn out.
We had a changing of the guard so to speak, Roger Gardiner and Andrew Waterworth have been absolute stalwarts in ensuring that FOBC is doing what we are mandated to do and also ensuring that we have the support to do what we are mandated to do.
Andrew has passed the baton on to me as President as he has other pursuits which he would like to follow at this stage. Andrew has been President of FOBC for the past four years, during which he has given his total commitment to progressing our vision for Bullock Creek – quite apart from sharing his experience and guidance with us as a committee, and being out there taking photos when we have had storm water issues, he has been fully engaged with local government and environmental bodies to advocate for what is important for Bullock Creek. On behalf of Friends of Bullock Creek, thank you Andrew, Bullock Creek is in a better space because of you and we wish you all the best with your future endeavours.
Roger has been the linchpin to the restoration project since it started. He, along with others such as Paul van Klink of Fish and Game and Andrew Penniket of Te Kākano, had the vision for restoring the Wetlands and for recognising how important environmentally, the Wetlands are to Wanaka. Over the years, Roger has coordinated us with Fish and Game, and has been the positive energy cell which has kept up the momentum of the restoration project. Roger is stepping back from the executive role on the committee, and thankfully, will continue on as a member of the committee – and maintain an operations role.
Our elected Committee Members:
Nancy Latham, President Barry Mitchell
Ben Irving, Vice President David Payton
Charlotte Gardiner, Treasurer Magali Domingo
Roger Gardiner Sam Smoothy
Helen Howarth
Jacquie Staley
Our past seven months:
Celebration: It was 5 years ago in November since restoration of the Wetlands started and we, in conjunction with Fish and Game, had a BBQ in celebration. It was quite a mile stone as 20% of the 2.7ha site has been cleared of exotic bushes and weeds and replanted with over 5000 native plants. The plants are thriving - it is a natural wetland.
Back in 2016, the local resident association, Fish & Game and Te Kākano volunteers worked together on clearing the land in the Wetlands. Te Kākano also organised the plantings with plants from their community nursery and in 2018, FOBC evolved from this strong community initiative.
Fish and Game Otago: From FOBC’s point of view, and very importantly, what we have achieved over the past five years in working towards preserving the Wetlands as an ecologically important site and an iconic green space for Wanaka, is not through our (FOBC) efforts alone, but it has also been with the support and commitment to our shared vision by Fish and Game Otago who own the land. Their commitment is why we have been able to achieve what we have – thank you to Fish and Game and all your members.
Restoration of the Wetlands: This is an ongoing project which involves the clearing of exotic bushes and scrub, and planting out in natives, as well as weeding. We do this with the help of our volunteers who come along on Thursday afternoons which is fantastic – thank you, we appreciate your support!
Stone Street entrance to the Wetlands 2016
Stone Street entrance to the Wetlands 2022
The Department of Corrections also plays a very important part in supporting us. People fulfilling Community hour requirements come along on Saturday and help with clearing, planting and maintenance. The Corrections facility in Milton also provide the seedlings for the restoration. On behalf of FOBC, thank you to all those involved for your support.
Both of these activities have been under the supervision of our contractor, Klaartje Van Schie (Claire) Unfortunately from our point of view, Claire was offered a contract with DOC and is now based in Te Anau. Claire made a huge contribution to the restoration project over the past 18 months by way of her commitment and enthusiasm. We thank Claire and wish her all the very best in her continued quest in looking after the environment.
QE11 Covenant: Our exciting news is that Fish and Game are working towards have the Wetlands registered as a covenant under the QE11 National Trust. This will legally protect the site into perpetuity which is great in itself, but it also means that having this certainty around future protection gives us more certainty for fund raising and restoration projects, so this is excellent news. QE11 will help fund the perimeter fencing too – in rabbit proof fencing which should help with our rabbit problems.
Advocacy: We have been very active in advocating for Bullock Creek. Bullock Creek is naturally spring fed, the water is pristine and the ecology is sensitive to contaminants such as storm water which is laden with sediment, hard metals and hydrocarbons. There is an ongoing issue with storm water breaching the boundary between the Alpha Series Development and the Wetlands on Fish and Game Land. We are engaged with QLDC asking why we have this ongoing issue with storm water – not just the quantity, but also the quality. We had an onsite meeting with QLDC in March so that we could better understand their logistics behind the current configuration of storm water assets south of the Bullock Creek headwaters.
FOBC are also very proactive in monitoring and trying to hold to account other infiltrations further down which have contaminated the creek.
Boardwalk extension: Just in the last two weeks, Friends of Bullock Creek have extended the boardwalk so that during rain and flooding issues, people using the green space don’t need to walk through flood waters on the gravel path. The cost of materials was met by QLDC which we appreciate – although it would have been better if this boardwalk extension was not necessary due to the ongoing storm water flooding.
Going forward:
The restoration of the Wetlands continues to be a major focus. Having the site protected under an open space QE11 National Trust covenant will provide a baseline for fencing the perimeter and restoring the natural environment; and our restoration efforts will be protected for future generations under the covenant. We have a management plan in place so that our clearing and planting programme is measured, with the intent that we can manage weeding and maintenance of newly planted areas and develop the area within our resources.
We will continue to advocate for Bullock Creek including engagement with QLDC and ORC, and support this with good record keeping such as monitoring the health of Bullock Creek and the Wetlands.
Looking at the wider picture, we are supporting Wai Wanaka in developing an Integrated Catchment Management Plan for the Bullock Creek catchment; as well as engaging with ORC in their catchment management initiatives for Urban spaces, both for Bullock Creek and Lake Wanaka. Another initiative includes submitting to QLDC on a greater focus on Sustainable Water Management.
So thank you, Friends of Bullock Creek do appreciate your support, both as a member and financially, as well as out in the field. Your support is essential to what we can achieve.
If you would like to come along on Thursday afternoons to our volunteer days, or if you have a business where you would like to donate a work day to the wetlands, and you would like more details, do email me at info@fobc.kiwil Or if you would like to renew your membership or support us by a donation, our website is: fobc.kiwi.
Kind regards,
Nancy Latham
President, Friends of Bullock Creek