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Archives For 30/11/1999

Jobs at DOC: Karin Mahlfeld, Land Snails Ranger

Department of Conservation —  29/08/2014

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 Karin Mahlfeld, Land Snails Ranger based in Wellington.

At work

Karin working in the Science Lab at DOC's National Office.

Science Lab, identifying snails

Some things I do in my job include:

Updating the Department’s information on threatened land snail species, adding descriptions, images, notes on habitats, distribution maps etc. More than 450 species are currently listed in the Department’s Threat Classification list of land snails. I answer inquiries from staff, other agencies and the public relating to terrestrial and freshwater gastropods. I am also involved with monitoring the impact of rodent predation on the Wainuia urnula species. Most of this work requires me to liaise with a number of snail experts, staff at DOC, Te Papa, Wellington City Council, Greater Wellington and volunteers.

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by:

Providing information and images that staff can use to maintain inherent values of our landscapes (NZ and overseas tourists are keen to experience NZ as close to its original natural state); to ensure that nationally threatened species are conserved; to inform conservation volunteer groups of what is in their patch and its importance; to raise the profile of invertebrates and their role in ecosystem health; add to guides/publications (in addition the few iconic invertebrates usually used). Our images are useful to bring invertebrates closer to the public. We cannot fully appreciate our own place in an interconnected web of life without acknowledging how fundamentally dependent we are upon “the little things that run the world.” Invertebrates and other micro-organisms are very sensitive environmental indicators.

Litter samples and sieves equipment.

Some of our high tech equipment (showing dried litter sample sieved into fine, medium and coarse fraction)

The best bit about my job is:

That it involves a variety of activities: field work, research, new species discovery, working with volunteers, blogging, curation, publishing, cartography, graphics.

The funniest/strangest/loveliest/scariest/awesome-est (all of them!) DOC moment I’ve had so far is:

My first fieldwork in New Zealand in Nelson Lakes National Park, when I was accompanying Rod Hay monitoring South Island Robins. Being surrounded by mature forest with kākā monkeying around next to our hut in the middle of nowhere without any traffic noises was entirely different to managed pine and beech forests, steel works and intensive agriculture I grew up with back in Germany. After that I decided to return to NZ in the following year to do my MSc project here, which turned out to be on land snail diversity in bush fragments on Awhitu Peninsula (famous as one the highest diversity spots for micro-molluscs worldwide), the influence of stock trampling and habitat fragmentation. Geoff Park (formerly DOC) suggested this as a potential project to me. I had no idea what I got myself into. My affiliation with DOC stretches back nearly 27 years now. In 1991, I moved permanently to NZ.

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires or enthuses me most is:

Geoff Park obviously got me into researching New Zealand land snails. When I first met Geoff, I was a student studying landscape ecology in Germany. There were not many people interested in landscape ecology then, it was a relatively new degree. I always admired Geoff’s ability to jolt people into action and his love for and understanding of New Zealand’s landscapes.

Rat predated Wainuia urnula shells.

Rat predated Wainuia urnula snail shells

On a personal note

Most people don’t know that:

I run a very successful science community project involving Ngaio School and its community. Together with a group of Ngaio School mums, I am running lunchtime sessions, where students learn about plants, animals, rocks, chemistry, robots, lungs, brains, angular momentum, the universe—basically anything children are interested in. We are supported by around 70 parent volunteers, who share their passion, knowledge and resources for science and sometimes other topics.

My stomping ground is:

All around Wellington. With my partner Frank, our two sons and Dave Roscoe we have covered a lot of spots around Wellington (collecting). When my partner’s parents were still alive, we would regularly visit Puponga near Farewell Spit, where we had some wonderful Christmas holidays.

Karin and family on Mount Kaukau.

On our way to collect litter in the bush remnants on top of Mount Kaukau

My best ever holiday was:

Very hard to make a decision but Austrian Alps (Carinthia) rate definitely very high but also Corsica and Canaries were trips I really enjoyed.

My greatest sporting moment was when:

I was regional champion (Lower Saxony) in table tennis a long, long time ago. These days I do a lot of walking/hiking, however I am thinking of taking up table tennis again. It is a great game: non-contact, fast (you have to anticipate quickly your opponents counter moves) but also subtle when you spin the ball.

In my spare time:

I love tinkering. My older son and I go to a robotics club, where we build simple robots. Had I not taken on malacology as my primary occupation, robotics would have been my choice, had I known how much fun it can be. But back in the early 80s, I had no exposure to it and was not encouraged in that direction at school or at home. I also like reading a good crime novel or just hanging out with my family.

Threatened species team meeting at DOC's National Office.

Threatened species team meeting

Deep and meaningful

My favourite quote is:

“Ignoring invertebrates in conservation is simply spineless” – Kylie Williams, Charles Sturt University.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is:

If you can’t find something to live for, what do you die for? (I read this somewhere and it stuck with me.)

In work and life I am motivated by:

Getting more people engaged with science and conservation. Science is often portrayed in the media as a matter of opinion rather than scientifically proven knowledge and wisdom we should base our policies and decisions on. “Being entitled to my opinion” is often used to shelter beliefs that should have been abandoned as has been witnessed with the climate change debate. It breeds a false equivalence between experts and non-experts that has become an unfortunate feature of our public discourse.

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is:

Have a long term plan, get as much help as you can, share your experiences with others and learn from others. I have attended the Conservation Day for volunteers Wellington staff organises each year and found it very useful.

Karin building a robot at Robotics club at Victoria University.

Robotics club at Victoria University

Question of the week

When you’re not working at DOC, how do you like to relax?

When I come home, I have a cup of tea with my partner and we reflect on the day’s events, listen to some music and relax for a little while before having dinner. I try to avoid switching on my laptop in the evenings. I rather read, spend some time with my boys and occasionally watch a DVD.

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Jobs at DOC: Susie Geh, Partnerships Ranger

Department of Conservation —  22/08/2014

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 Susie Geh, Partnerships Ranger in Queenstown.

At work

Some things I do in my job include:

I am currently working on an education package for the Wakatipu, trying to grow volunteering in the district, being creative with our events, and still processing the odd permit every now and then.

Susie and friends dancing on the Kepler Track with mountains in the background.

Dancing on the Kepler

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by:

There is so much passion for conservation in DOC and my job is to try and share that with the rest of New Zealand. It’s not just about getting more people interested in conservation it’s also about changing people’s perceptions of what being involved in conservation means; you don’t have to be perfect you just have to try and do your bit.

The best bit about my job is:

The people without a doubt. My immediate team are great (and that’s not just because they feed me cake). I’ve also been lucky enough to meet some incredible individuals who are making a real difference to conservation in the community.

Cupcake shaped like a sheep.

Sheep cupcake

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires or enthuses me most is:

I need to mention two people for this one (maths isn’t my strong point). Firstly it would be the late Barry Lawrence, who was an inspiration as a conservation leader and just a great guy to be around. Everyone who knew him has many entertaining and inspiring Barry stories to tell. Second would be my current boss Greg Lind; his ability to lead, support and listen is incredible and I feel lucky to work for him. Plus he is always game to dress up as a miner/jailbird as required!

Susie with Barry Lawrence.

With Barry Lawrence in 2009 when I had just started with DOC

On a personal note…

Susie as a young girl with ginger hair.

So I am ginger after all

Most people don’t know that:

I am ginger. Oh, um maybe it’s a bit more obvious than I thought. How about that I have a cave in Japan named after me—Susie’s Secret Bonsai Garden (my Dad was a cave diver for many years).

The song that always cheers me up is:

Again my maths will fail as there are a few. Groove Armada “I see you baby”, Mr Scruff “Whalefish Song” and Pharrell Williams “Happy Song” (even more so now it makes me think of dancing on the Kepler).

My stomping ground is:

Currently anywhere we can get to from our doorstep in Arrowtown. I love that I can go for a hike into the hills without even getting in my car.

The best piece of news I’ve heard lately is:

That my family are coming to visit at Christmas. I like it when the world gets smaller again.

My secret indulgence is:

Not a secret and if you have it daily it’s probably not an indulgence but it would have to be chocolate, cake, sweets and anything which involves sugar. I can make a pretty impressive cupcake!

Deep and meaningful…

Susie and friends at a frozen lake on the Routeburn Track.

One of my favourite spots – the Routeburn

My favourite quote is:

“We’re in the stickiest situation since sticky the stick insect got stuck on a sticky bun.” Blackadder

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is:

Look forward not back!

In work and life I am motivated by:

Family, friends and I have to give special mention to my partner Wes.

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is:

Protect what you have as we actually have the chance to make a real difference. In 1,000 years I always  wonder what New Zealand will look and hope that we’ve had the wisdom to do things differently.

Susie walking through snow in the Crown Range.

Exploring from my own doorstep – the Crown Range

Question of the week…

As Queenstown is the home of extreme activities—what’s the most ‘extreme’ thing you have ever done?

My version of extreme doesn’t fit the Queenstown stereotype but it would have to be diving in the Marlborough Sounds. It was a beautiful day and I had an awesome dive, one of my deepest ever, when I came up and was on the boat a pod of dolphins surrounded us and as we headed back to shore I swear I saw two blue penguins swim by. That’s my version of extreme—hardcore happiness!

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Jobs at DOC: Cornelia Vervoorn, Partnerships Ranger

Department of Conservation —  01/08/2014

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).

Cornelia guiding on Fox Glacier.

Guiding at Fox Glacier

Today we profile Cornelia Vervoorn, Partnerships Ranger on the West Coast and recipient of the 2014 Stephen O’Dea Award, a scholarship for DOC staff set up in memory of Stephen O’Dea who died at Cave Creek in 1996.

At work

Some things I do in my job include:

Everything, from falling into mud and gorse while doing grazing inspections, to trying to look knowledgeable when discussing geological sampling.

I also answer questions like “what kind of eggs do stoats lay?”; prepare media releases and social media updates; and help to develop and foster partnerships.

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by:

Seeing more people invest their money, time, effort, or other resources, in conservation. We all benefit from being surrounded by healthy, functioning ecosystems and having conservation recreation opportunities as a central part of our lives.

Cornelia standing in a stream with a school student looking for macroinvertebrates.

Looking for macroinvertebrates with a student from Whataroa School

The best bit about my job is:

Everyone says this, but he tangata, he tangata, he tangata! It’s the people I work with who make my day. Not just people in DOC, but all those people out there who passionately support conservation efforts.

The other bit is the landscape I work in. It’s pretty hard to feel grouchy when Mt Elie de Beaumont is shining over the river flats and the frosted grasses are steaming in the dawn mist. Or when someone says, “hey, do you want to come along and inspect the tahr campsites in the Adams Wilderness Area?”

The loveliest DOC moment I’ve had so far is:

When one of the teenage students on a week-long Untouched World Charitable Trust education programme at Okarito said to me, “This week has changed my life. I can’t thank you guys enough for sharing this with me”.

We’d worked so hard to make the week challenging enough but not overwhelming—this showed that we hit just the right note.

The DOC employee that inspires or enthuses me most is:

Partnership Ranger Tim Shaw—who says he’s a cynic but has a grand plan to make South Westland weed-free, knows exorbitant amounts about ecology and always suggests a new angle for me to think about curly issues. And he never fails to remind me that there’s more to life than work—thanks Tim!

The South Westland DOC team.

The South Westland team last year—a great bunch of people to work with!

On a personal note…

Most people don’t know that:

I had a picnic morning tea of louise slice and Milo with the ex-president of Slovakia, Rudolf Schuster, at Castle Rock, Ross Island, Antarctica, to celebrate his 75th birthday.

The song that always cheers me up is:

The Ship Song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds or Central Reservation by Beth Orton

My stomping ground is:

I grew up in Canberra, Australia, so the Orroral Ridge was a favourite, as was the Kosciuszko Main Range. Especially the walk from Blue Lake via Lake Albina and Mt Kosciuszko to the top of the Crackenback chairlift.

In New Zealand: Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier and their névés have been my playground for the last 13 years. I’m also getting to know Kahurangi better now that my parents have moved to Nelson.

If I could be any New Zealand native species I’d be:

A kea. Because they don’t take anything seriously, and get to explore from the mountains to the sea, creating havoc along the way. And I could explain to the other keas that lead roofing nails and green cereal pellets should be left well alone.

Before working at DOC:

I worked as an anthropologist in the Northern Territory in Australia in the late 90s/early 2000s. I then had a complete career change, becoming a glacier guide at Fox Glacier and then at the Matanuska Glacier in Alaska.

This led on to two seasons as Programme Support Assistant at Scott Base. From there I did a season at Whakapapa Ski Field on the Trail Safety Team, and two weeks with Ultimate Hikes on the Milford Track, before being poached by DOC.

Cornelia and partner standing in front of a sign to 1080 Beach.

1080 Beach, it’s a lovely beach! No pests, either!

Deep and meaningful…

My favourite quote is:

Alone we are born
And die alone
Yet see the red gold cirrus
On snow mountain shine
Upon the upland road
Ride easy stranger
Surrender to the sky
Your heart of anger

–  High Country Weather (James K Baxter)

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is:

“Don’t let the bastards grind you down” — told to me by Alex Miller, ex-Chief Ranger, Westland Tai Poutini National Park and surrogate uncle.

In work and life I am motivated by:

My wonderful partner Jim Livingstone! And by new opportunities to explore New Zealand and the wider world.

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is:

You don’t know how lucky you are, mate. (Sung in Fred Dagg’s voice). We face problems like deteriorating water quality, species threatened with extinction etc., but the difference between us and so many countries is that we could reverse the downward trend if we had the will and made the effort as a country.

The areas we have that are still largely untouched are of such value not only to us but to the world—we are the lucky custodians of these areas. We should never be tempted to sacrifice these for short term economic gain when they are worth so much more as a lasting source of joy, not to mention “ecosystem services”!

Cornelia at Icestock music event in Antarctica.

“Ice Stock” – a pretty amazing live music event at McMurdo Base

Question of the week…

What are you most looking forward to as the recipient of the Stephen O’Dea Award?

The award will enable me to attend the IUCN World Parks Congress in Sydney.

I look forward to seeing landscapes and ecosystems during the field trip part of the congress.

Being an Aussie kid, I am partly familiar with these places, but it will be different seeing them through “conservation goggles”.

For example, I love the Australian Alps for their landscapes, from reading “The Silver Brumby” as a 12 year old horse-mad kid, and for the ski trips and bushwalking trips I’ve done there. However, what I don’t know is how the area looks when you consider threatened species and ecosystems, or how these are being protected and valued by Australians.

The Fox Glacier neve.

The Fox Glacier neve—an amazing place to learn to climb!

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Jobs at DOC: Catherine Brimecombe, Biodiversity Ranger

Department of Conservation —  30/05/2014

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 Catherine Brimecombe, Biodiversity Ranger at the Te Anau Wildlife Park…

At work

Some things I do in my job include:

Cleaning aviaries, preparing bird food, arranging ‘enrichment’ for kea and kaka, guiding groups for daily takahē feeding and weekly ‘Breakfast with the Birds’ events through summer.

Catherine sitting with a group of children from a local school.

At work with a group of children from one of our local schools

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by:

Helping people meet birds! People get to come into the takahē enclosure and spend time watching Tumbles, Kawa, Hebe and Monty. Judging by the wonder that people express, I am confident these encounters won’t be forgotten. When something stirs your heart, there’s no limit to the possibilities. Our ambassador birds are inspiring!

The funniest (retrospectively) DOC moment I’ve had so far was:

Arriving at work one morning to find the kea cage wide open. The lack of a note from the Animal Liberation Front told me that I had failed to padlock the outer door correctly. The birds had opened the inner door and enjoyed a night of freedom. Now they were sitting on top of the aviary eyeing me smugly. I remember the sensation of my blood running cold, I was so horrified (I was pretty new in the job). Luckily three of the four birds simply returned to their favourite perches when they were due for a sleep and the fourth was caught a day or two later without having come to harm.

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires or enthuses me most is:

I am surrounded by extraordinarily hard working and committed people, I couldn’t pick one.

On a personal note…

Most people don’t know that:

I am Australian by birth.

My stomping ground is:

My childhood stomping ground was the Tukituki River in Hawkes Bay. The river is part of me. A few years ago I took my daughter back to swim where I swam during those endless summers of childhood, and we found a sign warning the public to avoid contact with the water.

Catherine holding a kiwi at Lake Manapouri.

Volunteering for the Pomona Island Charitable Trust on one of Lake Manapouri’s kiwi crèche islands

If I could trade places with any other person for a week—famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional—it would be:

Tank Girl. If you don’t know who she is, best you don’t look her up.

My best ever holiday was:

Tonga, last winter, because I had never snorkelled before. No matter how many fantastic reef life documentaries you watch, nothing can prepare you for seeing the real thing. That’s why my job, helping people to meet birds, matters.

In my spare time:

I weed bust and bird watch.

If I could be any New Zealand native species I’d be:

Mohua, because they are so absolutely engaged in everything they do, and I love the way they use their whole bodies when they are fossicking for insects.

Catherine having her hair dyed.

NOT a natural redhead!

Deep and meaningful…

My favourite quote is:

‘We judge ourselves by our intentions, others judge us by our actions’.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is:

’Your body is not a temple, it is an adventure playground’ (Oh, wait, that was the worst advice…)

In work and life I am motivated by:

The conviction that today is special and I need to wring as much pleasure and productivity out of it as I can!

The crowds at Te Anau Wildlife Park watching the takahē and duck.

Tarks (and duck!) in action, wowing the crowds

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is: 

Conservation goes well with company. Find out if there is a local weed busting, community nursery or predator control group in your area, they’ll welcome your help.

Question of the week…

My favourite planet?  Earth. Unless Planet Takahē is found to exist I am definitely picking Earth, only known home to takahē, and, of course, chocolate.

 

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Biodiversity work on the Chatham Islands

Department of Conservation —  22/05/2014

22 May 2014 International Day for Biological Diversity. Island Biodiversity is the theme for today’s International Day for Biological Diversity.

To celebrate, DOC ranger Tansy Bliss writes about her job protecting the biodiversity on New Zealand’s Chatham Islands…

It’s May and the busy season of species protection work on the islands of Mangere and Rangatira in the Chatham Islands is coming to a close.

Rangatira Island on the horizon.

Rangatira Island, the third largest island in the Chatham Islands archipelago

It is often hard to find time for quiet reflection, but our final day on Rangatira sums up what is has all been about.

Naomi Muhlbacher, Islands hold a Chatham Petrel chick.

Naomi Muhlbacher holds a Chatham petrel chick

Trainee Ranger, Naomi Muhlbacher, holds a Chatham petrel chick. It lives in an artificial burrow installed in the nineties to help protect one of the rarest seabirds in the world and reduce burrow invasion by broad-billed prions.

With an estimated 300,000 prion pairs on Rangatira, and only 150 known Chatham Petrel pairs, competition for burrows is high.

I am fitting the chick with a metal band, so when it returns to breed in 3-5 years time, its identity can be verified.

This island was farmed up until the late fifties and most of the burrowing seabirds lost their home to heavy footed cattle and wandering sheep. Now the ground is so pitted with burrows, we wear wooden boards on our feet to prevent us damaging them further.

A black robin comes in to take advantage of the loosened soil and insects I have scooped out of the plastic tunnel entrance to ensure the chick has free passage to come in and out when exercising its wings ready for departure over the next few weeks.

Black robin. Photo: Leon Berard | CC BY 2.0.

Black robin

Chatham Island red-crowned parakeets chatter above us in competition with the Chatham Island tūī, fluttering from tree to tree, with constant vocalisations.

A Chatham Island snipe snuffles through the leaf litter, totally unperturbed by our presence and a male Chatham Island tomtit, sounds his alarm as he wards off the black robin from the fresh feeding ground.

Chatham Island red-crowned parakeet.

Chatham Island red-crowned parakeet

Last month a team of highly skilled volunteers and I scoured the island searching for black robin—completing the annual banding and post-breeding census.

On an island with almost 200 hectares of potential robin habitat, it is quite a job.

Currently there are 229 known colour-banded adult black robins and 70 juveniles on Rangatira. The nearby island of Mangere is smaller and with less than 10 hectares of mature forest, and holds a population of 45 adults and 9 juveniles. With this being the entire population of black robin in the world, protecting them is high on our priority list.

Trying to catch black robin in a drop trap.

A young black robin inspects the drop trap looking for a meal worm

Before leaving Rangatira, we recheck all the coastal bait stations for sign of nibbling rodents and ensure all bait is fresh and ready for any unwanted arrivals. The rough seas around the islands and the rat free status of the nearest neighbour, Pitt Island, has probably helped keep the islands pest free. However bio-security is still the most important job I do and the responsibility of getting it right every time feels enormous.

Today, we pause to relax in the sun on the lichen covered rocks with the skinks and shore plover, all of us enjoying some unexpected late autumn warmth. Chatham Island warblers pick insects from the lichen and bull kelp thrown high on the coast during the recent storms. A Chatham Island fantail displays in the fringing Olearia trees and a pair of Chatham Island oystercatchers stand proud in the spray zone separated from the frolicking fur seals by a rolling ocean of breaking blue.

For us in the Chatham Islands, every day is an ‘Island Biodiversity Day’.

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