To catch a rat...

Second Half of Stewart Island Adventure

Mapping our tramp

Possum trap

After a morning tour with Matt to Ulva Island, I grabbed some lunch and went with Matt to meet up with Denise who is an employee for SIRCET; Stewart Island/Rakiura Community and Environment Trust.  Here is a link to their mission so you can read more about how they are working to protect the native environment on Stewart Island.  http://sircet.org.nz/index.php?pr=Halfmoon_Bay_Project     

Thick undergrowth which is a great environment of the pests

   We began our work at the beginning of the fenced property for Halfmoon Bay.  We tramped into densely wooded areas to not only check traps, but to relocate them or re-bate them. Traps are set to capture feral cats (live traps just in case someone’s pet is caught), rat traps, traps for possums, and even deer traps.  A quick note on possums, they are NOT like our opossums.  They look more like a ferret and are kind of cute and furry.  They were brought to NZ to raise for their fur and escaped to thrive in their non-native environment while causing major devastation to the ecosystem.          SIRCET has two employees, Denise who is the trap setter and another lady who does the administration.  They cover over 210 hectare on Halfmoon Bay.  Traps must be checked daily in case something has wandered into a live trap that is not a pest.  Stewart Island has a population of 420 people and between 30 – 40 volunteer their time for SIRCET.  That is almost a 10% participation for the volunteer organization.         SIRCET also manages a nursery that only has native plants.  The plants are in a location that is open to the public and they ask for a donation of $2.00 per plant to help cover their costs.         Stewart Island has 26 kilometers of road and over 280 kilometers of hiking trails.  Matt drove me from one end of the island to the other in about 10 minutes.  At the far end near the nursery, we drove to the trail head for most of the trails on Stewart Island.  There was a huge chain link structure that is based on Maori legend.  And, there was a sign for Dancing Star Foundation – Ecological Preserve.  You may want to Google that as it is run by a company in the US and is a wee bit suspicious to the islanders.  It is completely fenced off and no one really knows what its purpose is.

Rat trap

Information plaques found at the lighthouse at the point

Nursery for islanders

Native Rimu trees

Another beautiful sunset

The Stewart Island End of the chain.

Maori legend of the chain

Red Kelp washed ashore after a storm.  Islanders will gather it to use as fertilizer in their gardens.

Dancing Star Foundation fence closing off an entire peninsula