Dear Friend of Bullock Creek,

breaking news!

QLDC Annual Plan submissions close on the 26th of April 5pm

Within the Draft Annual Plan, Stone Street Stormwater upgrades are being deferred by 7 years to YE 2030. Deferring investment in stormwater infrastructure so that Bullock Creek will continue to be contaminated for another 7 years will have dire consequences on the ecology of Bullock Creek and ultimately Lake Wanaka. Submission forms are online at QLDC Lets Talk ( https://letstalk.qldc.govt.nz/annual-plan-2023-24) and this would be a great way to support our mandate to protect Bullock Creek.

Now, back to the Newsletter….

Where does the year go? April already!

Thanks as always to our dedicated band of hard working volunteers and committee members. We've been busy. Here's a snapshot:

New Committee

At the well attended AGM in March, a new committee was elected. Really not so much a new committee but rather a re-shuffle as we endeavour to share the workload. The committee is now:-

Office bearers

President: Ben Irving
Vice President: Sam Smoothy
Treasurer: Charlotte Gardiner
Secretary: Roger Gardiner

Committee members :

Barry Mitchell
Jacquie Staley
Nancy Latham
David Payton
Maggie Domingo

Here's a copy of the AGM Minutes.

New Admin Assistant

We welcome Andy Oxley to FOBC as a new Admin Assistant. Andy has been living in Wanaka since 2000 and moved to the Bullock Creek neighbourhood 6 years ago. As a local business woman, Andy has a wealth of general administration skills and local knowledge to offer to our group. She is also a keen environmentalist and a regular trapper with Forest & Bird in Mt Aspiring National Park. The committee in particular is looking forward to her contributions going forward.

Autumn Planting

Paul van Klink, our Wetlands manager and conduit with our partners Fish and Game has ambitious plans that are already well underway. 1000 plants in the ground this Autumn. Thanks to our native plant suppliers Corrections Otago and Te Kakano, our dedicated volunteers have been busy planting beech, carex, ribbonwood and comprosma. As at 20 April, Paul is well on his way to reaching his goal, with 345 plants in the ground

To make the most of the mild autumn weather, planting sessions are happening at the wetlands every Thursday in 2 sessions 10AM - Noon and 2 - 4PM. Nice short sessions that help all our busy helpers fit a session into their busy weeks. If you are keen to join the crew of volunteers, please don't hesitate to email us or call Paul on 021 056 9146

Evil Weeds

Joining Paul's weed "hit list"...morning glory or bindweed (Convolvulaceae) has appeared in the wetlands.

So why is it "weedy". This plant has a very fast growth rate, longevity, dense smothering habit. It climbs over all other species, ultimately killing them. Can replace forest with low weedy blanket, and is the last species in many cases when a bush area totally succumbs to weeds." (Source: Weedbusters.org.nz) Ably assisted by Eva Fernandez, Paul has been tracking down this beastie weed and Eva has been fanatical in her painstaking approach to its destruction.

As you wander through the wetlands....keep your eyes open. Let's keep these invasive weeds out.

The QE2 Covenant

As many of you will know, Fish and Game has applied to register the FOBC wetlands under a QE2 covenant. The covenant will protect the land in perpetuity against development. At the moment it is with LINZ and we will be sure to "shout" it from the rooftops when it is registered.

To find out more about QE2 Covenants - take a look at the website.

Newsletter April 2023