Today we held our regular Thursday volunteer session. A small group of regular volunteers came along on this sunny, blue-sky Autumn day. We focused on mulching around some native plantings that had become overgrown with grass and other weeds. Without regular maintenance and management, it is easy for the native plants to become overwhelmed by voracious weeds, competing with the natives for precious light, nutrients and water.

That is why laying cardboard and spreading a thick layer of mulch over the top is important to help suppress the weeds and give our native plants every chance to grow and thrive. We even need to use the weedeater at times to more easily manage the grass before we can lay the cardboard and mulch.

Being outside on such a beautiful day, laughing and mucking around with our fellow volunteers, having a cuppa after the hard mahi and doing our bit for wetland regeneration is what it’s all about.

Over the years, you may have seen some of the stories we’ve done on the awesome-ness of our volunteers and their impact at the wetlands. And let’s again celebrate and uplift the mahi of volunteers in helping to create and maintain the unique ecosystem and regeneration of the Bullock Creek wetlands.

Importance of volunteering

Volunteering roles are as diverse as the motivations behind volunteering and the benefits that volunteers experience as a direct result of their mahi. According to Volunteering New Zealand[1] volunteers are motivated by factors as varied as social connection, ‘giving back’ to their communities, and seeking to make social connections. As to the benefits that volunteers gain as a result of their volunteering, people talk about a sense of purpose, personal development, the development of friendships, and learning new skills and gaining knowledge[2]. All of this and more can be said to be true of the volunteers we have, and have had, working at Bullock Creek over the years. Not to mention the tangible effects of wetland restoration at Bullock Creek, where a whopping 7,950+ volunteer hours and 10,578 plants have been clocked and planted…WOW! And what does that mean for the environment and its people? Land and water habitat for wetlands species in perpetuity, increased biodiversity, clean water, the cultural significance of taonga species found within the wetlands for Māori, and the development and maintenance of the wetlands as a public amenity[3].

Who are our volunteers at Bullock Creek?

Long-term locals; newer arrivals to town; those passing through as they travel Aotearoa, some of whom may end up staying for a few weeks or months and like to get involved and give back to the community; and everyone in between. Our volunteer base is diverse and everyone brings something unique to their volunteer role, and in turn, gets something out of volunteering, whether that be socialisation, a sense of purpose and meaningful action for the environment, or perhaps being outdoors in the fresh air, getting their hands dirty in the name of ecosystem restoration.

What do our volunteers do?

• Planting of native species

• Cardboard layering to suppress weeds around native plantings

• Mulching

• Weeding

• Releasing plant guards as plants grow

• Stripping cardboard of plastic to ready cardboard for layering

• Lots of wheelbarrow-ing, tool wielding, digging, chopping, and ripping fun!

• Oh, and of course, enjoying morning tea after all the mahi!!!

We say THANK YOU, to all of our current and past volunteers, for all your mahi; you are recognised and respected.

Volunteering opportunities

FOBC are just one of many local organisations and agencies working for environmental restoration. Check out some of our partners with volunteer options available for more environmental volunteering opportunities in Wānaka: Te Kākano, WAI Wānaka, and Predator Free Wānaka (formerly Predator Free Wānaka).

Stay tuned for more volunteer news and profiles over the coming months. If you want to get involved in volunteering, come along to our Thursday sessions, currently running 9am-11am. Contact us on Facebook, Instagram or email info@fobc.kiwi for more information.

[1] Volunteering New Zealand. (2024). State of Volunteering in Aotearoa New Zealand 2024. Wellington: Volunteering New Zealand.

[2] Volunteering New Zealand. (2024). State of Volunteering in Aotearoa New Zealand 2024. Wellington: Volunteering New Zealand.

[3] Department of Conservation. (n.d.). Why wetlands are important. https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/habitats/wetlands/why-wetlands-are-important/

Volunteers excited for the plant delivery from Te Kakano

Here at Friend of Bullock Creek, we understand that we couldn’t accomplish what we do without the generous help and support from the Wanaka Community at large. We always enjoy and greatly appreciate any opportunity to collaborate and work with any friends. Work at Bullock Creek has managed to unite a community and heal an ecosystem.

Recently, we recieved a generous delivery of plants from Te Kakano, another amazing local organization. They too rely on generous volunteer time. This fabulous collaboration will lead to native species: Kanuka, Kahikatea & Olearia hectorii - getting to grow up right at Bullock Creek. Here’s the instagram and facebook posts about it!

Olearia hectorii in particular is a very important inclusion! This native - also known as Deciduous Tree Daisy, is nationally endagered. Many Olearia are simply nearing the end of thier life and there are not enough young plants growing to replace them. Meanwhile sprouting plants struggle to establish themselves and are often outcompeted.

Getting to put a few Olearia Hectorii in the ground was valuable to say the least. Existing Olearia are important members of the ecosystem, offering homes to many bugs and other forms of life! At Bullock Creek these youngsters will have plenty of opportunity to grow strong and healthy - and will always have friends in those who spend time there.

To learn more about Oleria Hectorii - DOC does a great job at profiling this awesome plant in a video. And if you want an even deeper dive - check out this article when Olearia was plant of the month!

It is always a pleasure to work with Te Kakano to help an ecosystem out… I wonder what team up will be next…? If you’d like to get involved with either Te Kakano or FOBC - don’t hesitate!

Olearia Hectorii & its yellow flowers. Image from New Zealand Plant Conservation Network.

Untamed Blackberry bush takes over fence.

As the FOBC hard working band of volunteers continue the restoration of the Wetlands at Bullock Creek there is one very nasty exotic weed that tries very hard to halt our progress - the Blackberry!

One issue is Blackberry bushes are so difficult to eradicate! The pesky plant has a never-ending root system that is very labor intensive to entirely dig out. Not to mention, blackberry roots are able to re-sprout themselves after being broken & can start a new plant!

Apart from being tough to control, Blackberries outcompete the native species. The bush is filled with thickets and are beastly burdens to other plants & animals (including us humans)! They also restrict waterways, like Bullock Creek.

Attempts to effectively mitigate the impacts of blackberries are tricky - but there are a few solutions! Manual removal can be effective when digging or tilling is completed correctly and consistently! It has also been suggested that allowing livestock to graze infested areas might help improve the area too. Planting grasses/other hearty plant species over affected areas can offer some rebuttal against the baneful blackberry bush! Any suggestions to help our chances against this fiesty berry?

WHAT A MILESTONE! 

10,143 plants planted since October 2016 and 7335 volunteer hours logged!

Friends of Bullock Creek thanks our dedicated group of volunteers and also our donors and funders who continue to help us transform an abandoned weed infested site into a unique urban wetland available for all the Wanaka community and visitors to enjoy. 

EXCITING NEWS!

A QE2 Covenant over the Otago Fish & Game Council owned wetlands of Bullock Creek has been registered on the land title. Look out for the QE2 signs at both ends of the boardwalk. The spring fed wetlands of Bullock Creek are now protected from development in perpetuity.

Thanks to the Otago Fish & Game Council and Paul van Klink wearing his F&G hat, for making this happen.

Essentially the purpose of the QE2 covenant are:

• protect and enhance the Wetlands with native flora and fauna,

• protect indigenous biodiversity,

• restore indigenous vegetation,

• protect the source of Bullock Creek for freshwater fish spawning and rearing,

• maintain & enhance landscape value and

• maintain & enhance the use of the area for public recreation

For those of you who would like to see the full details of the covenant - click here

SAVE THE DATE! - 11 November, 2023- 4:30PM

FOBC, together with the Otago Fish & Game Council and National Trust we will be hosting a celebration of the QE2 Covenant grant with our catchment stakeholders, BC Neighbours and the wider Wanaka Community. The celebration will be held at the Hayshed adjacent the Wetlands commencing at 4:30PM on Saturday 11 November and will be followed by a casual BBQ gathering. Put the date in your diaries NOW!!

Spring is knocking on the door! The Tui’s are calling.

Planting work at the Wetlands continues apace with Paul van Klink organising for the arrival of more native plants. And of course as the ground warms up, there will be a fair bit of weed action too! We’ve taken delivery of some good mulch, but it’s still a bit green/hot and we’ll have to wait until Autumn next year before we use it.

With the longer days Paul is likely to return to two sessions each Thursday - 10AM - Noon and 2 - 4PM. Keep your eyes on our noticeboard, facebook/instagram page or sign up for our Thursday group emails for updates.

If you’ve got a spare couple of hours on a Thursday and you’d like to help out, get in touch with either Paul (021 056 9146) or Andy (021 107 5520).

big thanks to our volunteers!

Incredibly, despite the miserable cold inversion days, our dedicated FOBC volunteers are continuing to plant up the wetlands. Paul van Klink has been amazed at the hardy souls who don their warmest gear and gardening gloves and head to the Wetlands on a Thursday afternoon. Thanks also to Brian Anderson for the recent use of his mini-digger.

During winter months volunteer sessions are held 2 - 4PM at the Bullock Creek Wetlands. If you’d like to get involved or have any questions, don’t hesitate to call Paul 021 0569 146.