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Kia ora and welcome to the first On Stream for 2024.
In this issue, we have more money for community projects that protect and enhance Otago’s environment, with a boost to our ECO Fund; we meet the Check, Clean, Dry advocates who have been chatting up a storm at our summer spots and we say goodbye to someone really special. Jump in!
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We’re checking, you should too
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Environmental technician Colleen samples water to make sure it’s safe for you and your whānau to swim
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We sample for bacteria across 33 swimming sites and toxic algae over 11 water sites during summer.
You can check if it's good to swim before you get in by visiting LAWA:
www.lawa.org.nz/swim
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Toitū Te Hakapupu project takes shape
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Some of the planting and fencing being carried out across the catchment
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Toitū Te Hakapupu is a partnership project between ORC and Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, with significant community collaboration, focused on improving the health of the wai (water) in East Otago's Pleasant River catchment.
The $5.2 million dollar restoration project is made up of a $786,000 contribution from ORC, nearly $4 million dollars from the Ministry for the Environment’s Essential Freshwater Fund and Jobs for Nature, and a landowner contribution equal to 25% of the value of the improvement work being completed on their land.
A lot of planning came to fruition last year, with work undertaken on 13 properties in the catchment. About 4.5 kilometres of fencing was constructed around waterways and over 22,000 native trees planted, thanks to the Aukaha planting team, fencing contractors, landowners and the community.
These efforts will help stabilise riverbanks, improve biodiversity and exclude stock from waterways to improve water quality in the catchment. With interest from another 17 landowners, the project team is amped about this year’s possibilities.
Find out more about the project and sign up for updates here.
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Zink deficiency
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Robyn cross-country skiing at Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta.
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It’s with a lump in the throat that we bid farewell to our fabulous Enviroschools coordinator, Robyn Zink, off to do whatever she darn well pleases.
For the past eight years, Robyn has directed the Enviroschools regional programme, and she supports the Otago team of nine Enviroschools facilitators who work with schools and early childhood centres. It’s the longest job she has ever had, but not the weirdest: she once drove a stagecoach.
Extremely passionate and dedicated to her role, she has been a treasure trove of ideas and information for both coordinators and funders and kept the communication going between all relevant partners in the Otago ES programme. A delightfully positive person, she lights up any room she is in.
While we’re so happy she’s finally taking some time out to go adventuring and spend time in her garden growing all sorts of veges, we are sad to have to go without her lovely presence.
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ORC ABC
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A is for … Alluvial Fans.
A build-up of river or stream sediments which form a sloping landform shaped like an open fan, flooding on alluvial fans can be damaging, as the fans have steeper gradients than river floodplains.
They typically occur near the boundary between hillslopes and valleys and owe their origins to changes in the slope of natural drainage systems, for example, where a steep gully merges onto a flatter valley floor.
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Alluvial fan activity near Flaxmill Creek, Makarora East, in October 1978
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Pest of the month: Egeria
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January’s pest of the month is … egeria.
Rhymes with hysteria, egeria is an aquatic pest plant with dark green leaves in spirals and can produce three-petalled, white flowers between November and January that sit on the surface of the water.
Egeria is a pest because it can:
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Form large underwater meadows that shade out smaller native species
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Prevent seedlings from growing
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Block waterways and drainage, causing flooding
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Choke hydro turbines; and
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Stop the flow of water, killing fauna and flora.
Egeria is not currently known to be in Otago’s waterways — it’s a pest in ORC’s exclusion programme, which aims to stop pests that are in surrounding areas from establishing in Otago.
We want to make sure that it doesn’t get its feet under the table here. If you think you have seen egeria in Otago, please let us know by calling us on 0800 474 082 or emailing a photo and a clear description of the location to biosecurity@orc.govt.nz.
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Heck no, didymo!
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Angus and Ollie, hard at it, making friends and influencing pest control
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Ollie and Angus, our Check, Clean, Dry summer advocates, have been busy spreading the good word on how NOT to spread aquatic pests across our beautiful lakes in Central Otago.
Stopping in at Lowburn Harbour, Pisa Moorings, Bendigo, Cromwell, Clyde, Alexandra and McNulty Inlet, they’ve been rubbing elbows with fishermen, boaties and others enjoying time out on the water. They’ve been installing signs at some of these locations to help make visitors aware of aquatic pests such as lagarosiphon and didymo.
If you’re moving between waterways this summer, please Check. Clean. Dry.
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Check your gear for plant material, remove it and either leave it at the site or put it in the rubbish bin.
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Clean and soak your gear thoroughly for 20 minutes, generally in hot tap water with 10% dishwashing detergent. You can also use 2% bleach, soaking or spraying surfaces for at least one minute.
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Dry your gear for 48 hours before relocating to another waterway. Aquatic pests can spread through a single drop of water or the smallest plant fragment.
Say ‘hello’ if you see Ollie and Angus out and about.
Learn more about aquatic pests, including egeria, and the Check, Clean, Dry method.
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Who floats our boat?
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The team consists of Steve (Harbourmaster), Jen (Harbourmaster Operations Officer) and Pete (Deputy Harbourmaster). They're a great bunch and always up for a chat.
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ORC’s Harbourmaster team have been busy over the summer period patrolling both central and coastal Otago.
On New Year’s Day, they dealt with a sunken boat at Old Cromwell and cleaned up associated pollution.
Remember the boating code so you always get home safe after a day of fun on the water.
The Boating Safety Code:
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ECO Fund boosted!
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Rabbit fencing at Moeraki and lupin control in the Lindis Pass were ECO Funded last year
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Our annual ECO Fund round for community projects opens on 1 March, with a boost to available funding, meaning it’s now topping $900,000.
This year, as well as the ECO Fund and four incentives funds, there is a one-off, large-scale biodiversity fund – targeting projects in a range of $50,000–$150,000. The funding is our way of partnering with local communities throughout Otago to improve the environment. Eligible projects can include on-ground works, biodiversity enhancement, water monitoring, animal or plant pest control, native planting and regeneration, education, or administrative support.
Last year's funding round included projects to establish a trap library at Taieri Mouth, removal of lupins in the Lindis Pass, plants for riparian planting in South Otago and rabbit fencing at Moeraki and Wānaka.
Even if you’ve applied before, it’s a good idea to review the ECO Fund information on our website and get in touch with the ECO Fund team to discuss potential applications: email ecofund@orc.govt.nz or call 0800 474 082.
Applications open early March 2024 and close in early April, with successful applicants to be informed in May.
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Join us at the A&P shows!
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Join ORC staff and councillors in the tent at some upcoming A&P shows in the region to discuss your biosecurity or any other burning issues you have in mind.
Staff will be at the Ōmakau show at the local domain on 10 February, the Maniototo show at Ranfurly, Maniototo Stadium, on 14 February, and the Mt Benger show at Roxburgh Racecourse on 17 February.
We look forward to seeing you in the crowd!
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Freshwater farm plans
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We have a new resource available to assist North Otago farmers with their freshwater farm plans.
While plans will be required from 1 February in North Otago, farmers in this area have 18 months to have them certified and submitted.
To help you prepare yours, we’ve compiled some handy info into what we’re calling the North Otago Catchment Context, Challenges and Values (CCCV).
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Intensive Winter Grazing workshops
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Get prepared for winter — our Consents, Compliance and Catchment Advisor teams are organising a series of Intensive Winter Grazing (IWG) workshops at 12 locations across Otago in February and March.
The workshops will provide an opportunity for farmers to get help with all things IWG, ask questions of ORC staff, and get help compiling an IWG consent application or updating an existing IWG Management Plan. Dates and details to come — keep an eye on our website.
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Who do we love?
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A pair of Lake Hāwea’s local population of Grebes
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The Lake Hāwea Stakeholder Group (LHSG), started by local farmers, consists of a broad bunch of members (including ORC) who share the goal of improving the Lake Hāwea environment for future generations.
We were stoked to be part of their work in broom control last year. Supported by the Guardians of Lake Hāwea, the group also includes Queenstown Lakes District Council, Land Information New Zealand, Contact Energy and WAI Wānaka. Ka pai!
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Biodiversity protection for coastal Dunedin
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Maintaining the Gains is an ORC $1 million project funded by Department of Conservation from the Jobs for Nature fund. It is in collaboration with QEII National Trust and Aukaha, a rūnaka-based consultancy service, to help Otago make progress in controlling pest plants in high-value biodiversity areas. Over 16 QEII covenants have been selected in an effort to improve and protect biodiversity.
To date, pest plants have been controlled in 11 covenants, giving landowners a helping hand to protect and enhance biodiversity. The project has targeted around 1400 hectares of QEII covenanted land for pest plant control over three years and finishes in December 2024.
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Find out about upcoming community events and Council meetings here.
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Feel free to forward this email to anyone who might like to read it. If you have any story ideas or want to know anything specific about anything in this issue, let us know by emailing lisa.scott@orc.govt.nz.
If you have been forwarded this email, you can sign up here.
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