What’s it like to volunteer with DOC? Motueka and Takaka volunteers, and the DOC rangers who accompany them, tell all…
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By Kath Inwood, Partnerships Ranger, Nelson
The Motueka sandspit is an internationally significant site for shorebirds, providing roosting and nesting space for variable oystercatchers and banded dotterel, and temporary lodgings for the bar-tailed godwit. Being so close to town, however, it is a popular spot for Motueka dog owners to walk their dogs.
A variable oystercatcher
Ranger Ross and some of the dogs
To improve awareness of the birds in the area, we got together with Tasman District Council and Birds New Zealand to try out an Australian idea – the Dog’s Breakfast. This event provides dog owners an opportunity to learn about the birds of the foreshore and sandspit over a bacon and egg butty (sandwich).
Around 50 dog walkers turned out to breakfast with their dogs over a two and a half hour period on Saturday 8 March.
With the smell of sizzling bacon in the background, David Melville from Birds New Zealand explained that variable oystercatchers and banded dotterel are key inhabitants of the sandspit area, along with the better-known bar-tailed godwits, who make the 11,000km flight between New Zealand and Alaska.
The crowd gathers for the dog’s breakfast
The purpose of the breakfast was to raise awareness of dog owners about the significance of this area for shorebirds, and to enable them to be more informed about how they can minimise the disturbance to wildlife, while enjoying the benefits of an area such as this to walk their dogs.
By Rudy Tetteroo, Programme Manager (Community Relations), Motueka
Pauline Samways, together with the Motueka Arts Council, has greatly increased local community awareness of godwits: birds who complete their non-stop migration from Alaska to here in New Zealand.
Pauline in Motueka with the godwits
Pauline was recently recognised as a Conservation Champion for her tireless work in helping raise the profile of Motueka’s most important annual visitor.
Just over ten years ago, Pauline left the classroom behind after being awarded a Science, Mathematics and Technology Teaching Fellowship by the Royal Society of New Zealand. This allowed Pauline to spend a year on the Motueka sandspit learning about its ecology. It was this experience that made Pauline realise just how truly amazing godwits are.
After following the progress of the satellite-tagged birds, Pauline saw how important the DOC managed Motueka sandspit was to the long-haul travellers who nested there. After her submission to the local council to ban dogs from roaming on the spit was unsuccessful, Pauline wrote articles for the local newspapers about the different birds that were found on the spit and relied on it for their survival. Her submission was later revised and the last 200 meters of the sandspit are now dog free thanks to her efforts.
People viewing the godwits
In 2008 the Motueka Arts Council joined the unofficial Godwits Appreciation Club whilst looking for a new project that would be special to the Motueka Township. They came up with the idea of a ‘Welcome to the Godwits’ celebration—an exhibition of art, photography, poetry and sculpture by adults and school children, along with information about the birds and the importance of the estuary.
“We visited schools to enthuse the children who in turn carried the message to their parents,” says Pauline.
Pauline’s own “Viewing of the Godwits” event saw local Ornithological Society of New Zealand members set up their telescopes on the old wharf over-looking the estuary. People came out to view the godwits feeding and to hear about the amazing journey they made every year. The “Viewing of the Godwits” event paired up with the Motueka Arts Councils festival for three years following its debut and included guest speakers, a dress up parade and art on the waterfront. These events encouraged one local school to publish a book (called ‘Never Ending Summer’) on the topic with the first 200 copies selling out.
Godwits landing in Motueka
In the past three years, a colony of white fronted terns has been nesting at the end of the sandspit. To help manage these predators, DOC provided Pauline with six traps, which she and a friend now monitor regularly.
The increased awareness of godwits in the Motueka community is greatly due to Pauline’s hard work and her partnership with the Motueka Arts Council, as well as the support from DOC and the Tasman District Council.
Pauline has been the community voice working in a methodical and persistent fashion in the best interest of the birds. It’s the quiet, unassuming style that has allowed her to succeed where others have failed.
Pauline using her telescope