Conservation blog

Jobs at DOC: Kris Ramm, Science Advisor

Department of Conservation — 21/02/2014

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Kris Ramm, a Science Advisor in DOC’s Marine Species and Threats team.

At work

Some things I do in my job include… working with the fishing industry and other to reduce the bycatch of protected birds, mammals, sharks and invertebrates by commercial fisheries.

Kris Ramm giving a presentation to commercial fishers.

Giving a talk to commercial fishers on seabird mitigation – though it looks more like an air guitar competition

What this tends to mean is that I spend lots of time talking to fishermen about their interactions with protected marine species and trying to get them to think about how to reduce those interactions.

We also work a lot with fisheries observers training them in protected species identification so that we get better information about what is happening at sea.

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by… raising awareness and ultimately reducing bycatch of many of our protected species, including the less cute and cuddly ones like spine-tailed devil rays and basking sharks.

The best bit about my job is… getting around the country and talking to a wide range of people with a very wide range of views about marine conservation.

I get to have some very interesting debates with fishermen. A lot of the work is in explaining the value of these animals and just how fragile some of the populations are.

Because the work of the team is so varied I get to be a part of some really interesting and ever changing work.

Kris Ramm mountain biking at Makara Peak.

Struggling up the final hill at the last Makara Peak Relay

The awesome-est DOC moment I’ve had so far is… any time I’m out in the field to help remember why we do this in the first place. Maybe tracking little blue penguins on Adele Island in the Abel Tasman National Park. Spending the entire night waiting and listening out for those little critters then trying to be as gentle as you can while they’re doing their very best to slice your hands up.

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires or enthuses me most is… I have to pick two for this, Gen Spargo and Nick Fisentzidis out on Kapiti Island, wrangling tourists and keeping the island’s flora and fauna safe and happy. I’ve never met two people more passionate about conservation.

On a personal note

The song that always cheers me up is… Graceland – Paul Simon. I’ve got a pretty varied music taste but somehow keep coming back to that (the whole album actually).

My stomping ground is… the south coast of Wellington. Amazing diving (if not a tropical temperature) and awesome mountain bike tracks in the hills above.

My greatest sporting moment was… wakeboarding on a plank of wood while being towed by a speed boat in Antarctica. We were down there on a fishing boat for three months so had to occupy ourselves somehow.

Attempts at wakeboarding in -20C water in the Ross Sea

In my spare time I… mountain bike… constantly… some would say obsessively, anywhere I can get and anytime I can get out. Riding the Heaphy Track earlier this year was a revelation about how much fun multi-day rides can be.

Kris Ramm's bike ready to take on the Heaphy Track.

Loaded down and ready to head off on the Heaphy Track

Before working at DOC I… worked as a fisheries observer on a whole range of different boats. My fist trip was two months on a Russian trawler, where only one of the 80 crew spoke any English, which made for a pretty steep learning curve—as did a diet mainly consisting of cottage cheese and sour cream.

My trusty hound and riding/diving buddy

Deep and meaningful

My favourite quote is… Lead me not into temptation… I can find my own way.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is… New Zealand is a nice place, you should go visit (that was 14 years ago).

In work and life I am motivated by… being outdoors. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing, just being outside and getting to enjoy this amazing country.

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is… get out into the water and experience what we have, if more people do that, more people care and the conservation just grows from that.

Question of the week…

What three appliances in your home would you not want to live without?
Easy! Coffee machine, coffee grinder, sliding compound mitre saw (just because it’s awesome).

In Jobs at DOC Fisheries, Makara, Marine, Science Advisor, Staff

Spotlight on Motuihe Island

Department of Conservation — 20/02/2014

By DOC Ranger, Kurt Shanks

Today, we’re putting the spotlight on recent innovative activity on Motuihe Island — a conservation jewel in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.

Ranger John Mills plays a vital role in everything from glamping to gecko translocations and sponsored road repairs.

Donation benefits conservation

A $2,000 donation of roading materials and labour from Fulton Hogan provided an unexpected boost to conservation efforts on Motuihe.

Paul Hart (left) from Fulton Hogan and DOC’s Motuihe
Ranger John Mills, on the road before repairs were
carried out

A donated truck load of black top roading mix has enabled DOC to make the necessary repairs to the deteriorating road surface, with spin-off conservation benefits.

DOC Ranger on the island, John Mills, says the donated materials and labour allow DOC and its partner—the Motuihe Island Restoration Trust—to divert more budget and effort to projects with direct conservation benefits.

The island is pest free, with continued effort by DOC and the Trust to protect endangered native species like the New Zealand dotterel, saddleback, kākāriki, kiwi, shore skinks, bellbirds and tuatara.

Crossing the ditch for Motuihe glamping

John Mills says there is also increasing interest from the corporate sector to visit the island for retreats, conservation education and team building.

The lounge retreat, part of the glamping site on Motuihe Island

In early November the island hosted 60 high-achievers from Fuji Xerox Australia for an overnight ‘glamping’ experience.

The overnighter was organised by wildernest.co.nz who booked out camp sites on the island and ensured guests’ meals were fully catered by chefs.

The spectacular glamping site on Motuihe Island

The Fuji Xerox staff helped DOC and the Trust by carrying out a variety of conservation-orientated volunteer work, and the island was returned to its original condition immediately prior to the guests’ departure, with all rubbish and temporary facilities removed by barge.

Trifecta of gecko translocations—two down, one to go!

Three species of gecko are being translocated to Motuihe over the summer months to help restore ecological links and values to the island.

Releasing geckos

The gecko programme is part of the island’s restoration plan jointly developed by DOC and the Trust, and follows several translocations of rare birds and tuatara.

Geckos were present on the island prior to farming and the arrival of pest animals.

Late last year, 60 common geckos arrived from Otata Island (Noises) to Motuihe on a day which attracted more than 100 volunteers and conservationists, including iwi, the Trust, DOC and community groups.

60 common geckos arrived from Otata Island, which attracted more than 100 volunteers and conservationists

In January 100 Duvaucel’s geckos arrived from Stanley Island (in the Mercury Islands), and in early March 100 Pacific geckos will be translocated from Tarakihi (Shag Island).

Visit Motuihe

With clear waters, sheltered anchorages, visitor facilities and community conservation efforts, the island is particularly popular with summer visitors.

You can plan your own visit to Motuihe on the DOC website.

In Auckland, Camping, Islands, Native animals Geckos, Glamping, Hauraki Gulf, Motuihe

Photo of the week: Aotea/Great Barrier Island

Department of Conservation — 19/02/2014

Today’s photo shows one of the last great wilderness areas of the Auckland region — Aotea/Great Barrier Island.

Right now there’s a proposal afoot to declare a conservation park on the island and you’ve got less than a fortnight left to let us know what you think about the idea.

The proposal is for the 15,000 hectares of public conservation land on Aotea/Great Barrier Island, currently stewardship land, to be designated a new conservation park.

The legal effect of this change would be greater protection for the island’s flora and fauna, while still allowing for recreation opportunities.

More information about the proposed Aotea/Great Barrier Island conservation park, including an online submission form

This photo was taken by Alexander Kluge | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

In Auckland, Islands Aotea, Conservation Park, Great Barrier Island

Visiting Kapiti Island

Department of Conservation — 18/02/2014

By Daniel Deans, DOC Intern

Recently the summer interns at DOC had the opportunity to ditch the spreadsheets, stretch their legs and get out of the office for a two day excursion on Kapiti Island.

DOC Interns on the beach at Kapiti Island.

DOC Interns on Kapiti Island

Every summer, DOC takes on a small group of interns to work in various roles. This year saw the largest contingent of interns that DOC has ever dared to take on at once, with a group of 11 wannabes working for three months in DOC’s National Office.

Interns working with a DOC ranger on Kapiti Island.

Hard at work

Having had enough of us after two months, our managers sent us across the sea on an unseasonably stormy day to spend two days volunteering on Kapiti Island. Home to one of New Zealand’s treasured native bird sanctuaries, we were to spend two days working with local ranger Gen on various island maintenance tasks – getting the hands on work we’d been craving after weeks behind a keyboard.

Weta

The first day involved an invigorating walk to the summit of the island (a surprisingly high 521 metres), where we were greeted with a stunning sight of fog and rain, as well as the occasional weka attempting to steal our lunches.

The journey back down the hill was no less invigorating, having been tasked the glamorous job of clearing drains.

With mechanised street sweepers unsuited to a steep gravel track, clearing the drains involved shovelling dirt and leaves with your boot heel, and bending down to scoop it all up with your hands.

Needless to say the group arrived back to the accommodation rather damp, muddy and exhausted, but entirely satisfied with some good physically demanding labour (who needs a gym when you can do squats clearing drains?). While some retreated to the hot showers, the more adventurous among us thought that the howling wind and rain was the perfect weather for a swim. The sanity of these individuals is now missing somewhere off the coast of Paraparaumu.

Enjoying nature

During the evening (after several increasingly ridiculous games of Articulate), we were treated to a kiwi spotting tour with Gen the Ranger. While ‘spotting’ is perhaps a bit of an optimistic term in retrospect, we did hear the calls of several kiwi in close vicinity, as well as stumbling on giant weta and other wildlife.

Geckos

The dawn of day two saw Juliet and team leader Shannan up at a ridiculous hour – running to the top of the island to catch the dawn chorus. The rest of us dragged ourselves out of bed to have breakfast with the cheeky kaka, who were entirely unfazed by the human invaders to their home.

With the sight of the well needed sun, we set out on the morning mission – weeding the tracks. As it turns out, Kapiti Island is quite the ideal working location, with the crew being treated to the melodic sounds of the native bird population as we laboured. Along the way the ever-knowledgeable Ranger Gen pointed out each bird’s specific call, and succeeded in selling the job of Kapiti Island ranger as a very tempting career move.

An intern visited by a kaka on Kapiti Island.

Curious kaka

But unfortunately the trip had to end. With soggy socks and heavy hearts we boarded our boat back to the mainland, having had a fantastic taster into life ‘on the ground’ as part of DOC – an invaluable experience for all of us!

In Islands, Jobs at DOC, Wellington/Kapiti gecko, Interns, jobs, kaka, kapiti island, ranger, Wellington, weta

Watching weevils

Department of Conservation — 17/02/2014

By Chatham Islands Ranger, Tansy Bliss

It all began on a sunny Sunday afternoon, when I was chatting to another DOC Ranger, Shelly Sidley, who had just put the Chatham Island team through their paces with health and safety training.

When I mentioned the endemic Chatham Islands coxella weevil Hadramphus spinipennis, surprisingly, she responded with an interested look and then a follow up comment of, “I know just the person who would love to help you with monitoring it.”

Chatham Islands coxella weevil

A year later, I am on Mangere Island with Mark Anderson — a secondary teacher of science and biology at Marlborough Boys’ College.

We’re systematically searching 455 soft speargrass plants (Aciphylla dieffenbachii) for the large, flightless Chatham Islands coxella weevil, last studied in 1996 by Katrin Schöps.

Speargrass

In 2011, Mark, under a Royal Society of New Zealand teacher’s fellowship, undertook the first comprehensive study of the ngaio weevil on Stephens Island.

As his enthusiasm for weevils and monitoring had not diminished, Mark volunteered his practical skills, knowledge and time to help on Mangere.

Mark searching for weevils on a speargrass flowerhead

During the 10 days of intensive work on Mangere Island, we revisited all the original sites where weevils had been found in the mid-1990s and systematically surveyed thirteen 25 m²quadrants at night, recording how many weevils we saw and where we found them.

A weevil after heavy rain

The results were impressive. We discovered:

Soft speargrass plants with as many as nine weevils quietly munching away on leaf stems or feeding on the high protein male and female flower heads.

Weevil aggregations of up to seven weevils piggy backing each other.

Numerous weevil pairs perhaps mating.

Lone weevils, metres away from any speargrass plants, plodding across iceplant or carex.

Weevils hiding in the grass, playing dead during the day.

Weevils out in the pouring rain all glistening and dark with the moisture.

Weevils mating on speargrass

We even found weevils in the middle of Robin Bush, some 300 metres away from any speargrass plant.

As we concluded our work, confirming good numbers of weevils still present on the island, we were thankful to Shelly Sidley who made it all possible.

In Islands, Native animals, Native plants coxella, Mangere Island, ngaio, speargrass, weevils

Jobs at DOC: Kris Ramm, Science Advisor

At work

On a personal note

Deep and meaningful

Question of the week…