Many thanks to Claire Taylor for this wonderful painting of rats sitting on a branch engaged in a serious workshop about rat traps!
Summer Newsletter 2015
This fine summer has brought walkers in their thousands to enjoy the shaded tracks of the Okura Bush Walkway – Auckland’s most popular bush track. It has also been a great season for native wildlife. Birdsong generally is considered more abundant thanks to the trapping program started at the beginning of 2014. Four endangered NZ dotterel chicks have hatched on…
The return of the forest gecko
After one and a half years of small scale rat trapping we have spotted our first forest gecko (Mokopirirakau granulatus). Great to see that the numbers could be on the climb. This female looks pregnant too!
Bush track format fails trees – North Shore Times
Native trees are “stressed and dying” along a public North Shore bush walk, according to a resident bush volunteer. Friends of Okura Bush co-ordinator Geoff Reid says the forest floor is suffering under a tightly packed stone chip walkway, which is part of the track linking Okura to Stillwater via bush.
Weedos Strike Back
11 dedicated volunteers met armed with their weapon of choice. It was a day filled with the sounds of a raging chainsaw, the snapping of vines from Elaeagnus and volunteers yelling ‘TIMBER’ followed by crashes from big pest trees hitting the ground.
Pest control report in Local Matters
A report on trapping activities by FOOB in the Okura Bush was published in Hibiscus Matters local newspaper.
Local Board funding for 2015 Festival
Thanks to Hibiscus and Bays local Board for giving us $1000 towards running the Okura Forest Festival 2015.
Okura Forest Festival – 2015
On the 14th of February we are having a festival in appreciation of the forest. Kiwi bands, choice food, arts and crafts. Time: 11am – 11pm Location: Okura River Road – in the park next to the hall. Entry by donation. To book a stall, contact Lezette on 021 872222 or info@okurabush.org.nz. Music line up yet to be announced.
Albany Heights – Redvale Bird Survey 2014
Forest & Bird need your help counting birds in the Okura catchment. They ask that you spend one hour over the weekend 15th-16th November recording birds on your property.
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