Trapping Network: Motupipi Estuary, Sandspit and Golf Course

In 2023 Project De-Vine Environmental Trust (PDVET) set up a trapping network of over 130 devices in and around the Grove Reserve. These are dealing primarily with possums, stoats, and rats.

With a small grant from Golden Bay Community Trust, PDVET has started expanding its trapping network from the Grove to meet the sea. The Motupipi estuary, sandspit and golf course provide a great space to get started with the support of the Takaka Golf Club, Friends of East Mohua and TDC.

The Golf Club and its members are providing some traps and will manage the traps around the Golf Course. Friends of East Mohua (FOEM) will help to co-ordinate the volunteers needed to monitor the trap lines elsewhere. If you wish to assist in this and other environmental projects in East Mohua (Motupipi to Wainui) you can email FOEM at friendsofeastmohua@gmail.com, or text 0273654038, or join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofeastmohua/.

We are asking for sponsorship to help build the remaining 100+ traps locally at the Takaka Menzshed. With ITM sponsorship we are keeping the costs down. You can donate $140 for a trap, which will also help cover the lures/bait and maintenance. Smaller donations are always welcome. Larger donations or business sponsorship towards the ongoing maintenance of the trapping network will ensure its sustainability. 136 traps are needed to connect to the Grove reserve network.

You can do it directly via our website: pdvet.org.nz – go to the “contributions” page and click on the “Trapping” option for donations. Or email us via admin@pdvet.org.nz or phone 0800 669 333 to leave a message, or text Chris Rowse on 020 4111 2626. We will email our charity’s banking details with a tax-deductible receipt.

The bigger picture:

There has been a lot of enthusiasm to see a large-scale trapping network in the area, joining up the local trapping efforts to achieve a much higher level of control and result in many benefits. It will future-proof Abel Tasman National Park’s successes (ATNP). Recovering bird population and thriving re-introduced birds like the kaka, pateke/brown teal, whio, tieke/saddleback, and kakariki/parakeet are starting to spread out of the park. Other birds like robins and tomtits are already found in the Clifton area.

The plan is to create a trapping network from the Takaka River to Wainui and along the boundary of ATNP. A hui of TDC, DOC, Project Janszoon, iwi, and key trapping groups met last September to work out the details.

We’ll approach funders for more significant input like Wainui and the hinterland alongside the park boundary.

Thank you for your support!