On-Stream
A massive thank you goes out with this issue of On-Stream.
It was heartening to see such a large number of people pulling together and doing voluntary rostering of water during the dry weather.
Even though the hills are starting to look green again, we know the effects of the drought will carry on throughout the winter months, with a potential shortage of winter crops in some areas.
Make sure you continue to support each other as the ongoing effects of the drought continue to be felt.
At ORC we're continuing to work with industry groups to share information and resources. Give us or your industry rep a call if you want some guidance or information.
Happy reading,
The ORC team
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It would be an understatement to say that many people are excited about the release of the K5 rabbit virus.
It's already been released at a number of sites around Otago, and while the true impact won't be seen for some time yet, we're optimistic that many bunnies will start meeting the Grim Reaper very soon.
We take our hats off to the organisers of the Easter Bunny Hunt, who have postponed this annual event so the virus has its best chance of taking hold.
A reminder that the virus needs to spead naturally to be most effective, so please do not transport rabbit carcases between properties. This will hinder instead of help the spread of the virus.
We're going to launch a campaign soon to remind people that they are responsible for rabbit management on their property, and to let them know what the options are. While most farmers know what to do, we're aware that many lifestylers don't have the same knowledge.
This information should be ready to show you in the next issue of On-Stream and we hope you'll love it.
Now is the time to take rabbit management action because numbers will be lower, so if you haven't already, we encourage you to make a plan to carry out rabbit control over the winter months.
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| Updates from your liaison specialists |
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Bruce Monaghan - Central Otago
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Fish Surveys
To assist the deemed permit replacement process, ORC has arranged fish survey work on around 180 streams with deemed or water permits where there is currently a lack or absence of fish data.
This work is being done from now until June by Ross Dungey, who is an independent consultant contracted to ORC.
Maps showing the survey sites can be viewed on our website at www.orc.govt.nz/fishsurveymaps, or you can use the quick links at the bottom of the Home page. The blue dots show waterways where the work will be carried out.
The data will be entered into the NZ Freshwater Fish database, which will then be available on our Fish and Flow portal. This information will help you in your application to replace your deemed permit or renew an RMA water permit.
If you want more information about the fish surveys please contact me or Nicole Foote on 0800 474 082.
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From droughts to a green flush, what a difference a month makes!
I recently spent a delightful afternoon with the students of Lee Stream School, who have been investigating their enquiry topic of “Are farmers really responsible for New Zealand's Water Quality”.
There was a great show of hands indicating the number of farmers among the students. They readily relayed all they knew about water quality, including stream observations indicating water quality status and some good management practices that they know of and are undertaking on the land.
They were keen to hear how ORC collects water samples for our monitoring programme across the region, and were interested to find out that our samples are sent away to Christchurch for analysis. All students from the new entrants to intermediate age were enthusiastic in their questions, and it was a great session.
I also recently attended the Southern Wood Council's event in Balclutha where the Ministry for Primary Industries outlined the National Environmental Standard for Plantation Forestry, which comes into effect on 1 May. ORC will be communicating with commercial foresters and woodlot owners in the coming weeks. Keep an eye out for this information.
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Over the last month I have met a number of people in the Otago community, including those who attended the DairyNZ riparian planting talk in Owaka. The day included attendees working together to develop ideas for riparian planting using a real-life example on the host farm.
It was an informative event with great information on the importance of riparian planting, including how farms can benefit from riparian buffers, which species work best, and where.
The EnviroWalk app, developed by DairyNZ to help farmers quickly assess environmental risks across their farms, was also explored. If you have not checked out EnviroWalk yet, I highly recommend it.
Upcoming events to watch out for include the first workshop for Lake Tuakitoto Wetland, which will focus on understanding the community’s visions and goals for Tuakitoto. This workshop will be held on the 5th of April. If you are interested in coming along or would like more information, please get in touch with me.
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My congratulations go out to the Shag River Catchment Group and ORC Freshwater Fish Scientist Pete Ravenscroft for hosting a very informative and enjoyable session recently, which focused on the spawning habitat of whitebait in the Shag River.
Whitebait is the collective term for the juvenile stage of the five amazing New Zealand species of the fish family Galaxiidae. These fish have very specific spawning requirements and getting the ‘love zone’ right is a delicate balance of a number of conditions, including the right mix of salt and freshwater, the right tide levels, the right bank access, the right time of year, the right vegetation.
Otago landowners in and around these areas generally do a great job of protecting the habitat from stock access, bank damage and sediment deposition – keep up the good work!
The North Otago Sustainable Land Management Group (NOSLaM) is hitting the ground running this week with several ‘pod group’ meetings for landowners in the Awamoko and Waiareka catchments.
The meetings will feature ORC presenting water quality data from testing sites across the two catchments, and discussion of what could be causing some of the results. This promises to be a must-be-there series of meetings for those landowners and their staff so, if you’re interested, contact Rob McTague, NOSLaM Coordinator, on 0211 949 597.
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The Good Water Project
This project will help people understand their risk when it comes to impacting on water quality and breaching rules in the Water Plan. It's kicking off soon and we'll keep you updated.
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New forestry regulations
There are new rules around forestry that will affect you if you have a forestry block on your land. We're going to a workshop on this soon and in the next issue of On-Stream we'll give you some information about how it could impact on you. |
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For our future
Your chance to have your say on ORC's ten-year plan is coming up soon. We want your views on our plans around climate change, low flow forecasting and urban water quality, as well as other projects. Keep an eye out for the consultation document that will be in your letterbox soon. |
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What's coming up?
For a full list of events click here.
April
- 5 April, 7 pm start, Kaitangata Hall. Lake Tuakitoto community vision and values session.
- 8 April, Blueskin Bay A&P show. We're sharing a stand with DCC so come and say hi.
- 9 April, 4-9 pm, Future directions on farm-based food production in NZ.
Heartland Hotel, Croydon, Gore. RSVPs to ORC on 0800 474 072. |
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| The summer issue of ORC's newsletter 'Waterlines' is out now. You can read it here. |
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| If you know someone who should subscribe to On-Stream, forward this email to them and suggest they email us at water@orc.govt.nz to subscribe. |
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