1080 GREEN WASH By Carol Sawyer Citing a Southland Times letter to the Editor “Originally it [1080] was developed as an insecticide by Monsanto. But its lack of selectivity of what it kills meant it was too dangerous.” “Declaring war on behalf of nature is not possible. Nature works in unpredictable ways and will adjust […]

via Tell me again how 1080 is saving our birds? — Rangitikei Enviromental Health Watch

This year proved to be as eventful as expected for Waikanae with the opening of the ‘Ewy’ which, psychologically at least, has separated the Waikanae Beach zone from the rest of Waikanae and the commencement of works for the huge Maypole development nearby which likewise will have a major impact.

Next year the council has promised to do something to improve the town centre experience.

We continue to meet new people and make new friends.  Thanks go to our contributors; most articles have been on shenanigans at the council and although they get plenty of hits, we also want to post about positive things: local good sorts, local achievers and just pretty photos.

We wish readers, friends and supporters a happy Christmas and holiday period.

And to the handful of enemies, we take encouragement from the quote attributed to Winston Churchill: “You have enemies? Good. It means you have stood up for something, sometime in your life.”

–Your editors

Want to find native mistletoe this Christmas? Ask our Biodiversity Monitoring Team. They can tell you just the place to go.

via Hunting for native mistletoe this Christmas — Conservation blog

“An aerial 1080 drop in the Kāpiti Coast foothills of the Tararua Ranges is planned for next February after being postponed in spring this year.

“Poor weather prevented the possum control operation over 10,900 hectares of bush and forest between Akatarawa Road in Reikorangi and the Ōtaki River prior to the Christmas-New Year period, when the area is popular with recreational users.”

Full article on the Stuff website

The media release from Ospri for the Ministry for Primary Industries follows:

“That balanced biodiversity is still a dream on the mainland, but in the first months of 2018, it will come significantly closer after a TB-free aerial 1080 possum control operation knocks down possums and rats across a large chunk of TB vector risk area – 11,000 hectares of bush and forest along the foothills of the Tararua Ranges, between the Akatarawa Road in the south and the Otaki River in the north. The project area is just north of the settlement of Reikorangi, and some of the area for treatment is within view of Waikanae and the Kapiti Expressway.

“The operation, designed in consultation with local communities and landowners, aims to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis (TB) into the neighbouring farms and lifestyle blocks around Reikorangi, and reduce the risk of TB infection being maintained by possums. Native flora and fauna, including the birds that come and go from Kapiti, will benefit from the possum control operation.

“The rugged nature of the terrain and in the inaccessibility of the block makes aerial control the preferred method for this operation, although ground-based methods of possum control using traps and poisons will be used on flatter land near areas of population and recreational parks.”

Roger Childs of the Kapiti Independent News comments:-

“The operation, designed in consultation with local communities and landowners, aims to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis (TB) into the neighbouring farms and lifestyle blocks around Reikorangi, and reduce the risk of TB infection being maintained by possums.”

This is not true. The world standard for TB free status is an infection rate of less than 0.2%. NZ has had a bovine TB infection rate of 0.04% for the last 10 years. (Source: Fiona McQueen, The Quiet Forest p vi)

Possums tested in recent years have had minuscule levels of TB.  Nathan Guy, himself a farmer and the former Minister of Primary Industries, advised in May 2015 that levels of Tb in possum were minimal. Of 124,213 possum autopsied over 10 years, only 54 infected animals were found, i.e., around 0.04%. He also said that no possum tested in the previous year had TB. As there was clearly almost no Tb in possum, they would be an unlikely source of disease in cattle.

Why do the powers that be keep perpetuating lies about the possum – bovine TB link?

REBEL VISION DIGITAL Published on Dec 15, 2017 Since the making of this video, it has developed that the security firm involved were not a registered organization until 12 December 2017 and the security guard that assaulted Graeme was not registered to be doing security work at the time of the incident……. LINKS TO […]

via NZ Police / DoC 1080 Cover Up? — Rangitikei Enviromental Health Watch

The Government has officially declared Kapiti and Horowhenua are now in the grips of a drought, along with other parts of the lower North Island.

Minister for Agriculture and Rural Communities Damien O’Connor today announced the fast-growing drought in parts of the lower North Island would be classified as a medium-scale adverse event. The areas declared are:

Region: Taranaki
• New Plymouth
• Stratford
• South Taranaki

Region: Manawatu-Whanganui
• Rangitikei
• Whanganui
• Manawatu
• Palmerston North
• Horowhenua

Region: Wellington
• Kapiti Coast
• Upper Hutt
• Lower Hutt
• Porirua
• Wellington

(NIWA pic)

A 1914 model (Ford?) truck bought at Adam Burges Machinery and Wagons of Paekakariki by Arthur David Wootton to deliver cream to Waikanae from his farm in Reikorangi. The truck is marked Waikanae Branch, Cheltenham Co-operative Dairy Coy Ltd.  It’s not clear if the dealer arranged the lettering.

The Wootton property was first surveyed as an apple orchard, but before it was well established the property was bought by Dr Knight of Wellington as a weekend retreat at the turn of the century. The Wootton family were dairy farming from about 1914 to 1975 and then ran a small number of sheep.

Grandson P Wootton of Reikorangi continued to farm the property of his forebears. (via Kapiti District Libraries)

Trains run every day between tomorrow Saturday 23 December and Friday 5 January 2018, but a holiday timetable applies — on the MetLink website here.