Concerned residents formed the Omokoroa Pest Free environmental care group in October 2005. Their aim was to reduce the number of rodents on Omokoroa Point, thereby helping native wildlife re-establish. Older residents remembered a time when the point had much greater birdlife and sightings of lizards and weta were common.

Rodent control was set up in four stages, and the enclosure has recently been completed. Each stage started from a smaller set of stations then added to sequentially. Around 80 volunteers are involved and over 400 bait stations are now in constant use.

Monitoring:

Monitoring occurs regularly in Omokoroa. Its purpose is to gauge over time the success of the pest control programme. Without monitoring, we wouldn't have a clear picture of the project outcomes. Two kinds of monitoring are occuring - small animal monitoring and bird monitoring.

Friends of Puketoki

Located 20 minutes from Tauranga, on Leyland Road, off Whakamarama Road, Puketoki Reserve is an attractive stand of native bush located in the upper catchment of Te Puna Stream. Established in 2007, Friends of Puketoki set out to bring life back to the reserve.

Puketoki Birds

Friends of Puketoki have been undertaking bird counts to record the variety of species in the reserve. At regular intervals members return to the same location and in 5 minutes record all birds they can either see or hear. For more information on bird counts, click here.

Recent results for the the surveys have discovered rare North Island Robin, Bellbirds and Kaka. Additionally there's the more familiar Grey Warblers, Tuis and Fantails. This is in huge contrast to a few years ago when the forest was near silent.

A number of possum control options were discussed with EBOP pest animal officers, from cyanide (Feratox) to brodificoum (Pest Off) but there are drawbacks to both. Two experienced contractors visited the site recently and have decided to set up a pilot project using a new product to test their effectiveness in this kind of setting. Warrior traps, supplied by Connovation Ltd, are a user and environmentally friendly trap that humanely kills possums.
 

There are now 8 lines cutting through the 40ha Puketoki Reserve. Community volunteers have been baiting the reserve fortnightly since late 2006. They had a total of 39 bait stations spread over the previous 6 lines and were using Ditrac as the rodent poison. A lot of station interference was occurring and it was concluded possums were responsible. Unfortunately rodent bait was unlikely to have any ill effects on the possums.

Uretara Estuary Managers

In 2004 local residents had found their local area had become quieter. Most native birds had vanished from the land and sightings had become rare. Local citizens decided to do something about it, forming the environmentally aware and active community group The Uretara Estuary Managers.

The Uretara restoration project involves many aspects, all with the aim of increasing and protecting our native habitat and therefore biodiversity.