It’s your place, have your say…

Andrew Lonie —  20/01/2011

Managing DOC land… How hard can it be?

Well, it’s certainly easier if people tell us what they think. If you’ve got a treasured family campsite, or favourite fishing spot you’d like kept unspoilt – or if you’ve got a gripe about the way wildlife or one of your special places is being managed, we’d like to hear about it.

4WD trip in Oteake Conservation Park. Photo: C Babirat.

4WD - a popular form of recreation on DOC land

 
In Otago and Southland, DOC is seeking comment on what you value (or don’t value) on conservation land by way of a Google Maps mashup. This is an early-bird chance to have input into DOC’s Conservation Management Strategies (more formal consultation will take place later in the year).
Hoiho and chicks. Photo: C Pullar.

Hoiho - an iconic southern seabird - and chicks

It takes about 20 minutes – you can stick electronic pins with comments on a map, showing what you value in different locations and how you’d like it to be managed. There’s also a short survey to complement this and to tell us a wee bit about you.
Stewart Town, Bannockburn Sluicings, Central Otago. Photo: A Lonie.

Stewart Town, Bannockburn Sluicings - one of my own favourite spots

DOC is looking for feedback in other regions too, by different means –  find out how in the Consultations section of the DOC website. But for the Deep South:

Tell us what you value on conservation land in Otago
Tell us what you value on conservation land in Southland

Have your say by adding comments to the Google map.

The Google map lets you mark and comment on places you value

Once you’ve completed the survey you’ll have the option of later receiving the survey results, and being kept up-to-date with DOC’s conservation management plans. And finally, we’d also love to hear from your family and friends on what’s important to them – please pass it on!
Blue Lake, St Bathans. Photo: R Suisted.

Summer family fun at Blue Lake, St Bathans

In Historic, Native animals, Otago, Recreation, Regions, Southland
permalink

Andrew Lonie

Posts

Hi there, I work in information management at DOC Otago Conservancy, Dunedin. If I'm not busy drawing maps or reading/writing blogs, I could be tending my family and farmlet, reading the Otago Daily Times, driving my own engine over a mountain or refuelling it with carbohydrate.

7 responses to It’s your place, have your say…

  1. 
    Andrew Lonie 09/11/2011 at 9:16 am

    Some more goings-on at Cathedral Cove – this time on the cave itself!
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/national/5931894/Cathedral-Cove-cave-has-shave/

  2. 
    Ruby - Science Camp 07/11/2011 at 6:01 am

    What a lovely camp! It sure is beautiful to stay there. The view is just amazing.

  3. 
    Andrew Lonie 10/02/2011 at 1:46 pm

    Hi Peter,
    I’ve just been in touch with our Hauraki Area Office and they report as follows:

    Essentially, the track to Cathedral Cove is open as far as Gemstone Bay, Stingray Bay and the Puriri Grove – this portion of track was reopened last Friday (4th Feb) following the damage caused as a result of Cyclone Wilma. Following an engineers report that we received earlier this week we are looking to rebuild the track to Cathedral Cove and this work will be completed in the next few months. We have had staff on site working to reopen these tracks since the damage occurred.

    If you want any more info, the office there will be more than happy to provide it, ph 07 867 9180.

    Regards
    Andrew

  4. 
    peter feran 09/02/2011 at 5:46 pm

    would be good to know if the Cathedral Cove (Coromandel) walkway has been re-opened

  5. 
    Andrew Lonie 07/02/2011 at 2:28 pm

    Hi again Mark
    Sorry has taken me a while to chase this up but I have a couple of reference books you could look up for some general info on red tussock and bog pine – let me know if interested and I could post them on your Travel 2 NZ site.

    Also on the bog pine, one of our researchers here Geoff Rogers has visited every Southland example of it, and is publishing a paper on it, with a view to getting some popular articles on it out there, ie the kind of info you were looking for. Bog pine has been identified as a threatened rare ecosystem and is being prioritised for protection, so it will be good to get some awareness of these lesser known but very important ecosystems out there.
    Andrew

  6. 
    Andrew Lonie 20/01/2011 at 4:31 pm

    Hi Mark,
    Thanks for your interest, it’s great to find out what conservation values people care about and this is exactly what we want for input into our conservation management planning.

    I had a chat to one of my Te Anau colleagues, who was on his way back to the office just now, about the bog pine and red tussock research areas. When he gets back he was going to dig out some info for you which I’ll forward on.

    Good to hear too you’re writing your own conservation-related blog items, like the video of the fur seals!
    Regards
    Andrew

  7. 
    Mark Perkins 20/01/2011 at 12:36 pm

    What a great idea, New Zealand and in particular the South Island, has some fantastic conservation and DOC camp sites. Technology astounds me every day. Mr Google maps..

    I am also very interested in learning about the Bog pine research area and the Red Tussock areas between Mosburn and Te Anau.

    If you have anything to help me that would be great. I would also like to write some blogs on my Travel 2 New Zealand site in relation to the awesome work that DOC are doing throughout the country.
    Mark