A volunteering job with all the trappings
Wednesday, 16 May 2018
If you can't help but feel a twinge of envy as you watch the tourists pass through town on their way to the striking wilderness of our national parks, the Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust might just have the antidote.
The trust is looking to bolster its volunteer force and is calling on locals to register their interest to assist with recording predator data and clearing traps within the national park.
Trust coordinator Abby Butler said that they were looking for 'able-bodied, keen' people to join their ranks as their organisation took over the endeavour from fellow conservation group Project Janszoon, who established predator control over much of the park to then hand over to another group.
She explained that the volunteers would become part of the rostered teams that carried out fortnightly trap checks between Marahau and Awaroa, travelling in by water taxi. On-the-ground training would to be provided along the relevant section, or line, of track, after which the line leader would liaise with the volunteers to coordinate the ongoing trap inspections.
The lines are between 3.5km and 4km each, with traps found every 100 metres. Data is recorded either live via the Walk the Line phone app, or manually using data sheets. Volunteers will spend most of the day in the park, giving them plenty of time to amble along their section of track before catching their return water taxi.
People could work by themselves or in pairs, and there may even be opportunities for families to sign up for a regular national park adventure. Butler was confident that the varying landscape meant that there would be opportunities for a range of fitness and confidence levels.
Trustee Alistair Sheat has been volunteering for more than two years, and he said that being part of the trust enabled him to 'get into the park and do something useful at the same time'.
'You hear anecdotally from people who have been in the park regularly that the birdsong has increased, and we're starting to see birds in the park that we wouldn't have seen regularly.'
Butler gave an assurance for anyone teetering on registering their interest but feeling a little squeamish about dealing with the rodents: volunteers don't actually touch anything with their bare hands. Instead, they are issued with a kit containing rubber gloves, a spatula and anti-septic wipes – 'everything you need,' she promised. Between zero and 40 percent of the traps will need emptying during these patrols.
The targeted predators were stoats, weasels and rats, with the Birdsong Trust's predator register showing that 255 mustelids and 3575 rats had been eradicated since 2010.
Butler said the trust was indebted to the businesses who operated and paid Birdsong levies within the park, as well as the water taxi companies for their willingness to provide the transport for volunteers.
'We could not have achieved any of our projects without this support.'
The trust was established in 2007 as a partnership between commercial operators, the community and the Department of Conversation, with the vision that 'the forests and beaches of Abel Tasman are once again filled with the birdsong that awakens and delights visitors'.
It continues to work closely with DOC and Project Janszoon, as well as local business operators, to share resources and optimise results.
With enough volunteers, the trustees hoped to expand the predator control scheme into other parts of the park, as well as take on further projects.
Previous projects have included the translocation of South Island robin and saddleback onto predator-free Adele Island, and the planting of beech trees along the Abel Tasman coastline.
The upcoming trapping training day is to be held in Motueka on Sunday, 27th May. For further information, including the confirmed location, and to register your interest, email Abby at atbirdsong1@gmail.com.