Saturday January 24th marked the first day of on-the-ground work for the LWRMS habitat enhancement project. The site chosen for the day was the fenced off area of conservation land at the State Highway 1 Bridge on the South Bank of the Waitaki River. Step one: Gorse grubbing.
Exotic weeds are a real pest, and not just for the Canterbury mudfish. We cut down and grubbed out 30 or 40 m2 of old man gorse. The patches were over mounds of free-draining thin soil and greywacke stone. It pulled out easily, resulting in a broad area of disturbed soil.
With the help of Papakaio School we intend to replant the cleared area over the coming months with native trees, specifically Narrow-leaved lacebark (Hoheria angustifolia), Cabbage tree (Cordyline australis), flax (Phormium tenax) and a range of native grasses, rushes and sedges.
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