Thirty-six young Rotary leaders spent a couple of hours at Lake Rotopiko near Te Awamutu last week, volunteering their time to help support restoration efforts being done by the National Wetland Trust.
Researcher Nicholas ‘Nic’ Sandoval of Wintec with some of the young leaders on their visit to Lake Rotopiko. Photo: supplied
The trust collaborates with Te Awamutu Rotary Club, offering Rotary Youth Leadership members and others in the club regular opportunities to volunteer at the site in support of various environmental activities, including pest surveillance, native planting, and the construction of sampling tables and viewing benches for visitors.
Lake Rotopiko, also known as Serpentine Lakes, is a complex of three small peat lakes considered a particularly valuable wetland ecosystem.
Dr Kathryn Ross of Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology showing the sparrow shape used for training in AI bird monitoring programme. Photo: supplied
The National Wetland Trust is leading a significant wetland restoration project which will include the development of a National Wetland Discovery Centre.
Rotary Te Awamutu’s Stephen Cox, past president and environmental spokesperson, said the 36 Rylarians were accompanied on their annual visit last week by a support group and two researchers, Nic Sandoval from Wintec, and Kathryn Ross from the Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.
Kaumatua Bill Harris and Don Scarlet of the National Wetland Trust welcoming the group of young Rotary leaders. Photo: supplied
Nic took them through their paces researching bird numbers. That is being done in response to a problem identified around the effects of thousands of exotic birds that shelter there overnight, leaving their droppings behind when they leave. Numbers of birds are being monitored to assess interventions.
Kathryn showed the group how to use cameras and AI for the monitoring of birds, while National Wetland Trust maintenance contractor Murray Davies oversaw the planting of around 400 native species under kahikatea trees. The group also checked the 41 plastic tunnels situated on the ground adjacent to the fence and walkways that record the movement of different species.
The group of young Rotary leaders, their supporters and hosts during an environmental visit to Lake Rotopiko last week. Photo: supplied
