Methven native bird sanctuary makes progress on pests and permission
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A group wanting to create a native bird sanctuary in Methven will be ready to go as soon as they have access to the proposed land.
The Methven Birdsong Initiative is a two-phase project that is making steady progress on both fronts, spokesperson Mac McElwain said.
“I’m a bit impatient so things can never happen quickly enough but it’s not going to happen overnight.
“The whole thing has really picked up some momentum.”
The Methven Lions launched the project at the end of last year and already the trap library is building financial backing to begin removing predators from the area.
Discussions about the permission to use the proposed site are also advancing.
The vision is to create a native habitat on the vacant council-owned land behind the Garden of Harmony – an area of council land already turned into a planted area with walkways.
The Birdsong Initiative is waiting on the “statutory ducks to be in a row” before they can make a start, McElwain said.
The Methven Community Board and the Ashburton District Council are working on the birdsong initiative’s request for access to the land.
A report to the community board stated one of the leaseholders has agreed to temporary access for construction of the project and another has said they would surrender their lease in April 2025, as they have stock on the property.
Discussions are still to be held with the third lessee.
If they are granted access to the site, the birdsong initiative will be ready to make a start, McElwain said.
Earlier this year the community board granted $10,000 to help establish the trap library that will help households to trap pests and predators in their backyards.
They also went to the Ashburton Water Zone Committee seeking funding and received $7306 to go towards planting the site.
The group also sought funding towards the trap library but it was suggested they could work with the Staveley Camp Forest community possum trap library which received $15,000 from the water zone earlier this year.
“The only barrier between the two trap libraries working together is distance,” Mcelwain said.
It was raised at the water zone committee meeting that there have been a number of trapping projects funded over the years and it could be a worthwhile exercise to see if those projects were still using the traps or if they could be redistributed.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.8% Summer
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36.5% Winter
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1.6% Other - I'll share below
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