Liz Maire, our education coordinator, kicked off the CatchIT pest control programme with help from Tauhoa and Tomarata School students.  The students helped us get some of the new traps ready and Liz  gave the students an overview of the problems caused by introduced pests, explained the different creatures and how to control them, and talked about tracking tunnels and trapping.

Liz Explaining Why Stoats Are So Nasty

There has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes, sourcing traps and materials.

Some of the 100 Timms Traps Donated by Auckland Council

5 Tomarata School Students Help Carry Timms Traps to Safe Storage

100 Rat Boxes Made by Oikoumene Timber of Helensville With Funding From Rodney Local Board

Tomarata Students Unloading Rat Boxes

On the day, Liz and Gill held two sessions at the school.

Liz With a Possum Puppet

Liz Shows Off Motuora’s infamous Norway rat

Liz explaining animal tracks

Explaining How Tracking Tunnels Work

Students Trying Their Hand At Interpreting Animal Tracks

Check Out the Reaction to Seeing a DOC 200 Trap Go Off!

Gill Adshead, trustee, explains what the Forest Bridge trust is all about using Terry’s great area map.

The programmes were very well received and the students went away with lots of new knowledge and enthusiasm.

A VERY BIG THANK YOU To:

Liz who has given a great deal of her time freely to get the program up and running

Auckland Council for donation of traps and funds

Rodney Local Board for funding,

Warren Agnew ( Gotcha Traps) who donated tracking tunnels and cards

Terry of Nature Designs Ltd who produced a great TFBT area map

Trustees and advisors of The Forest Bridge Trust whose vision made it happen