Waihora Ellesmere Trust

One of WET’s priorities is education, in the widest sense, and we are happy to assist schools and other groups in planning and organising educational projects that involve the Lake and its catchment.

In particular, with the expertise of our Restoration Consultant, we can help groups to organise and undertake riparian planting projects.  We can also help put you in touch with experts on local history and ecology.

We also have a small amount of funding support available for transport costs for groups undertaking practical environmental projects around the Lake and catchment.

For more information email: manager@wet.org.nz

WET is keen to keep in touch with schools and community groups interested in education activites around the Lake. From time to time a brief newsletter will be sent out so we can keep in touch with schools.

Newletters can viewed here:

Term 1, 2011

Term 3, 2011

The Environment Canterbury education team have produced some great resources to help explain the complexities of the natural world, including Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere. To find out more, visit the ECan website’s Wild Wonderful Coastal Wetlands page and take the interactive quiz and virtual tour which features Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere.

As part of the International Year of Biodiversity the Regional Biodiversity Coordinator, in collaboration with Environment Canterbury,  launched the MyBiodiversity film competition. Details are at http://www.canterburybiodiversity.org.nz/year-of-biodiversity.html

One of the winning entries features Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere. Peter and Martin Langlands have used film and visual images to reveal the world of the Matuku (Austalasin Bittern) and the pressures facing its survival today. Watch the short film on YouTube.

Waifest

We set up an information stall at the recent Waifest or Waterfest held annually at New Brighton Mall and took the opportunity to promote the Trust’s activities to a wider audience. The event was attended by a variety of interest groups and our participation was appreciated by the organisers.

WET Day Out

The annual Lincoln High School “WET Say Out” for Yr 9 students went ahead in February.  WET took part in organising and running the day. Paul de Spa (ECan), Sue Jarvis (Lincoln Envirotown) and Kelvin Nicolle (Waterwatch) ran hands-on practical activities for the students to investigate the water quality and in-stream health of waterways in the catchment of Te Waihora. The day was a great success and looks set to run again next year.

Kidsfest 2009

As part of WET’s commitment to Kids Fest we succesfully co-ordinated “Ranger for a Day” in early July.

A group of around 40 kids and their caregivers came along to be a “Ranger for a Day” as part of Selwyn’s Kidsfest in July. The activities started at Coes Ford where everyone learned that a healthy river isn’t just home to fish, but also many different species of tiny invertebrates. Saying that, we did manage to catch a couple of small cockabullies too! Paul de Spa from ECan showed everyone how to safely catch, sort and identify the aquatic life, so a huge thanks goes out to him for sharing his equipment and expertise with us.

Next stop was Yarrs Wildlife Reserve where, despite freezing temperatures, everyone managed to catch a glimpse of some of the birds that can be seen at Te Waihora. Colin Hill came along to help identify these birds and talk to us about the many others not found at this time of year; thank you Colin! Thanks also to Rob McPherson for his help in planning the day’s activities.