Captured during the joint stream assessment - volunteers are listening closely and eager to help!

Usually, our Thursday Working Bees are filled with lots of weeding, mulching, and tough labor! One Thursday the volunteers had a chance to take a break from the work to help out WAI & Otago Fish and Game with a Stream Assessment!

This joint stream assessment at Bullock Creek consisted of a few activities. Water Quality was tested through measuring the pH, turbidity, and nitrogen levels of the water. Also, some creature samples were found in the lake, which helps determine how healthy Bullock Creek is! This time around, baby brown & rainbow trout were found! Additionally, we determine some other creek health parameters including: plant types, sediment types, amount of rubbish, and more. Measuring and recording findings is extremely important so this knowledge is accessible.

WAI does a fantastic job at including citizens in thier science initiatives, and we were lucky to work with them and Otago Fish and Game to make this assessment happen. If you want to learn more about WAI’s “Get Your Feet Wet” project - visit their website! This project is the epitome of citizen science, and contributes to keeping our community informed, and most importantly, keeping our waterways clean! Check out WAI’s Event Calendar if you are interested in volunteering at an upcoming event.

Baby Trout found during stream assessment! Can you tell the difference between the Brown and Rainbow Trout?

Another Baby Trout… Which is which? Rainbow or Brown!?

In addition to the bigger hut that is utilized for FOBC operations, now we have another little storage shed at the Wetlands! A huge Thank You to Roger Gardiner, Corrections Community Service workers, as well as the amiable permission of Otago Fish and Game Council. Lucky us! This little shed's purpose is to be used for storage with the plan to do some renovations on the bigger hut. Folks with FOBC are beyond grateful for this asset. Stay tuned for exciting updates!

FOBC’s newest addition - a little storage shed.

Our trusty bigger hut that will be renovated.

Some of you may have noticed the survey pegs on the old Fish & Game Hatchery Site on Stone St… As many of you know this site and also the adjacent Wetland site on which FOBC is carrying out our restoration project, is owned by the Otago Fish & Game Council (OFG).

Previously, OFG had proposed to do a 9 lot subdivision of the Hatchery Site.  This has now changed and instead OFG has done a boundary realignment for the Hatchery site.

Effectively this will mean that at some time in the near future, the old staff quarters hut will be removed and the land bounding Stone St (now Lot 1) will be offered for sale.   In the medium term this will not affect the larger remaining land on which the old Hatchery, Open Bay and the FOBC sheds and nursery are located.

FOBC is working closely with OFG, who have indicated their intention to keep FOBC informed of all changes occurring on the site as we go forward.   

Of note, OFG has also achieved a settlement with QLDC regarding the overflow of stormwater from the Alpha Series development and OFG will be able to release more details about the practical implications of this settlement hopefully in the near future.

FOBC is making BioChar! We have been busy clearing out some pesky tree species, and the resulting woodwaste from the work left us with the foundation to make Biochar.

What is Biochar you might wonder? Using a method called “Pyrolysis,” wood is cooked in an environment free of oxygen. This techinque can turn waste-wood into a type of beneficial charcoal!

Biochar is helpful for many reasons! Here at Bullock Creek, it allows us to minimize our waste stream, reduce our carbon footprint, and recycle nutrients back into the wetland’s soil. Neat!

You can pay a visit to the FOBC Biochar experiment by taking a short trek to the upper fork of the Bullock Creek Boardwalk.

We were inspired to try this new strategy out thanks to Dr. Compost and recieved some information from this handy article. Check them out if you want to learn more about BioChar!

A very happy team enjoying very tasty treats following a fun work day at Bullock Creek.

Incase you haven't heard... it's about the baking! The mahi we do in Bullock Creek Wetland is important and provides a huge source of joy to accomplish. Truly though, nothing beats a tasty treat at the end of a hard days work. Without help from volunteers, we would not have been able to transfrom Bullock Creek into the space we know and love. So, we like to show our love and appreciation towards our wonderful volunteers by offerring some goodies on occasion.

It's a toss up amongst the team whether Carrot Cake or Lumberjack ranks the favorite. In any case, either sweet snack never fails to hit the spot! Of course we will share the recipes for both treats. If you want to join the team of awesome people who lend a hand in the wetland (or have a recipe that needs taste tasting) - please join! Our team meets Thursdays 2-4PM at the Bullock Creek Wetland. Want more information? You've come to the right place! Call Andy 021 107 5520 or Paul 021 056 9146

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?

Artwork and Map of Bullock Creek created by Wanaka Primary School Kids.

If you are curious about more Bullock Creek History, this artwork from about 30 years ago might intrigue you! Jenny Moss, schoolteacher, led her students through the length of Bullock Creek. The students recorded findings from their walk, and voila - a robust map of Bullock Creek was created! Today, while working to restore Bullock Creek, FOBC also is hoping to restore the artwork and find a permanent home for it! What a wonderful piece of Wanaka History!

Many thanks to Sam Cathie of Sampford-Cathie

Volunteers doing an awesome job at laying down the cardboard barrier & layering with a mulch cover!

Have you ever wondered why there is cardboard everywhere?? Well, here are some answers…

For one, cardboard serves as a wonderfully effective weed supressant. This allows new plants to grow & thrive without having to deal with as much competition from pesky weeds. Not only does it provide a protective barrier, it also decomposes down as a baselayer for new plant growth. The combination of cardboard and a mulch covering works amazingly!

Another plus of using cardboard - it minimizes the waste stream! We reuse the cardboard that local companies generously donate, keeping waste out of landfills & plants happy!

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. 

A great team of staunch volunteers

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea! Turning up on a day that’s 2C under an inversion or braving winter rain and wind to do the maintenance that’s essential to the ongoing success of the Bullock Creek wetland restoration is pretty STAUNCH!

This winter has been especially encouraging with a steady group of volunteers working away with Paul and Ed. The key tasks during the winter months are of course putting new natives in the ground, but even more importantly putting in the work to lay down cardboard and cover with mulch to prevent the onslaught of weeds as soon as Spring arrives.

Special mention to star volunteers: Rowena & Graeme Cannings, Andrew & Sue Millar, Gavin Craig, Mary Gardiner, Dave McVinnie, John Bretherton, Julie Cadzow and to new faces Gary Pasco & Ritchie Laming this winter.

Friends of Bullock Creek are fortunate recipients of other donations from a range of Wanaka retailers who provide us with their cardboard packaging and great piles of woodchip mulch from Trees Company a local arborists.