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It\u2019s Conservation Week this week, and all over the Western Bay of Plenty volunteers are out in all weather laying traps and ensuring native birds and flora can survive.Conservation volunteer John Rowlandson spends hours each week trapping \u201cthe baddies\u201d – stoats, possums, rats, feral cats – to protect his favourite place, The Blade at the end of Whakam\u0101rama Road, 24km northwest of Tauranga.
He\u2019s a member of Friends of the Blade, a volunteer group formed to develop a pest-free zone around the P\u0101 Kerer\u016b walking track and the rest area. The area is named after a massive bulldozer blade that was left behind from one of the rimu mills from early last century.
More than 40 volunteers visit all the trap lines about every fortnight to record dead pests, re-bait and reset the traps.
John got involved when he met people in the community who were already involved, so he went along to see what was about. That was about six years ago. He loves being outdoors, and hitting predators to give the native wildlife a fighting chance.
\u201cIf we can get rid of the baddies then we can get the good guys to thrive,\u201d he says. It\u2019s working too.
\u201cThere\u2019s no question the birdlife is vastly improved – so many more kereru, t\u016b\u012b, bellbirds, robins and fantails than there were five or six years ago.
\u201cIt\u2019s satisfying to see results and that we\u2019re making a difference. If we weren\u2019t seeing the results, catching the baddies wouldn\u2019t be as motivating, but we can see we\u2019re making a difference.\u201d
He previously worked in IT, but always loved the bush and fresh air so he says he\u2019d be up there every couple of weeks anyway. By volunteering he can enjoy the outdoors and do something that provides a bonus by making a difference.
\u201cSome of these areas we\u2019re trapping are off the beaten track so you feel like you\u2019re looking after your own space where no one ever goes. Some of our volunteers are very proud of their traplines.
\u201cIt\u2019s also good to run into people on the tracks who appreciate what we\u2019re doing and can see the difference we\u2019re making.\u201d
Anyone interested in volunteering with Friends of the Blade can go to www.volunteeringservices.org.nz\/volunteer-opportunities or on the Friends\u2019 website www.friendsoftheblade.org.nz
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