The level at which an opening can be considered at this time of year is 1.05m.

The graph below is a summary of lake level and openings for 2011, to mid December.

To:

M

Customer Services

Thursday, 11 August 2011 9:50 a.m.

Good morning to you all,

The lake is closed to the sea. The average level of the lake as recorded Wednesday 10 August was 1.02m.

The lake was opened to the sea on Thursday 4^th August at a level of 1.17m and closed naturally on Tuesday 9^th August.

The level at which an opening is considered at this time of year is 1.05m.

A chance for WET Trustees, members and anyone else who is interested, to find out more about the controversial Central Plains Water scheme.

Monday February 27^th, 2012, 6.30pm

Lincoln Events Centre, Meijer Drive, Lincoln

Come along to Lincoln Events Centre and hear about the consent conditions that will ensure environmental aspects of the scheme are monitored, mitigated and enhanced during the operational life of the CPW scheme, including the following:

• the implementation of best practice on farms, via a Farm Plan, and how this will improve the management (and losses) of nutrients on farms. (This topic will also include the requirement for all farmers to have their FMP’s audited);

• Environmental Management Fund – what this entails and the process for selection of environmental enhancement projects;

• The committees required to be established as part of the consent and the key role that these groups will have within the operation of the scheme (Environmental Management Fund Committee, Ground and Surface Water Expert Review Panel, Community Liaison Group);

• Ground and surface water monitoring requirements.

After the presentation, which will last around 30 minutes, there will be an opportunity to put questions to CPWL .

After a short break, with light refreshments, a WET Trust meeting will be held.

Environment Canterbury is inviting landowners and community groups to apply for a share of $2 million in annual funding to protect and restore Canterbury’s unique native biodiversity.

Environment Canterbury Regional Programmes Manager Stephen Hall said the Environmental Enhancement Fund – administered by Environment Canterbury’s Biodiversity Team – provides financial support to communities where it can make a real difference.

“We want to ensure most funding goes to on-the-ground biodiversity projects that people can see and take part in.

“Projects that will deliver the greatest biodiversity benefits are most likely to be supported. The top priority is for projects to protect areas that already have high biodiversity value, such as fencing an area of native bush.

“Projects that enhance or restore areas with some existing biodiversity value, such as pest eradication around an area of native vegetation, are a secondary priority.

“A third level priority for funding is available for projects that require entirely new plantings aimed at creating biodiversity hotspots,” he said.

Up to 50% funding is available for most biodiversity projects although this can be raised for areas of high biodiversity value. Labour costs can be considered as part of the funding.

The Environmental Enhancement Fund is part of a wider package of Environment Canterbury funding to protect and restore native flora and fauna throughout the region. This package – which totals around $2 million per year – includes the Canterbury Water Management Strategy Immediate Steps programme for freshwater biodiversity.

Immediate Steps projects are administered by the 10 zonal water management committees set up as part of Canterbury Water Management Strategy. It is specifically for projects that cover the protection of endangered species and waahi taonga (sacred sites). It also covers maintenance of Canterbury’s braided rivers, providing habitat for native flora and fauna, as well as protecting wetlands and other ecosystems (see Canterbury Biodiversity).

Applications for EEF funding are accepted all year round. The projects that have the highest biodiversity value will be funded immediately if they met the relevant criteria.

Contact Environment Canterbury’s Biodiversity Team on 0800 324 636 if you have a project that might be eligible for funding. For further information you can also download an application form from the Funding page.

Emily Moore from Fish & Game NZ has provided the information below to help clarify the situation.

Canada goose hunting on Lake Ellesmere (Te Waihora): Previously Canada geese were listed as a ‘game bird’ in the Wildlife Act and as a result hunters needed a hunting licence from Fish & Game to hunt them. This put certain restrictions on when and how they could be hunted. Fish & Game also carried out culls to keep numbers at a level agreed to between the organisation, Federated Farmers and the Department of Conservation (DOC). Recently Canada geese have been removed from the game bird list and therefore a licence is no longer required to hunt them. Federated Farmers recently carried out culls on the lake.

Any firearm can now be used to kill geese; however it is strongly recommended that rifles are not used where the public have access as the ricochet effect is dangerous. Other methods can also be used to kill geese (e.g. egg pricking) as long as they comply with the animal welfare act. In NZ there is no poison approved for the use on waterfowl.

Can I use lead shot to shoot geese? The rule that specified hunters could not use lead steel shot over water was in the Game Notice for hunting game birds. Now Canada geese are no longer classified as a game bird this rule no longer applies. However, to hunt on DOC land (which covers a large amount of the Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere lake edge) a hunting permit is required. This permit specifies no lead shot. It is recommended lead shot not be used over water as the pellets can be ingested by waterfowl which has been shown to have a toxic effect on birds.

What will happen if a hunter is caught in possession of lead shot hunting over water and claims they are not hunting ducks but only Canada geese? If they are using gear capable of shooting game birds at a time and in a location when game birds might reasonably be expected to be present, then it would be for the alleged offender to prove they were not intending to shoot game birds as a defence to a possible charge.

Fish & Game Officer

North Canterbury Fish & Game

3 Horatio Street

phone: 03 366 9191

A health warning has been issued by Canterbury District Health Board because of increased concentrations of toxic algae (cyanobacteria) in Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere.

People and animals should avoid contact with the lake until the warning has been lifted.

Further details and a media release are available from the ECan website.

updated Jan 11 2012

A copy can be downloaded from the ECan website.

Katie’s thesis, submitted as part of her Masters of Resource Studies is a look at Evaluating the effectiveness of riparian plantings on water quality: A case study of lowland streams in the Lake Ellesmere catchment.  It can be downloaded here.

Nazra submitted a dissertation as part of a her Masters of Applied Science. Her topic was Understanding the Spread of Riparian Restoration in the Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere catchment and it is available from the Lincoln University archive.

Evaluating the effectiveness of riparian plantings on water quality: A case study of lowland streams in the Lake Ellesmere catchment

Katie’s research included surveys of water quality indicators above and below selected restoration sites to see if there was any statistically significant change in water quality that might be attributable to the plantings.

Although the sites selected (on Harts Creek, Birdlings Brook, and Boggy Creek) are often used as good examples of riparian restoration in the Lake’s catchment, they fall well short of the minimum width of planting recommended by experts. They are also relatively short lengths of planting. Consequently, we had not really expected that the plantings would result in any statistically significant improvement in water quality until they were much more mature, if at all.

Some of the results were quite mixed and did not provide any clear evidence of significant changes. However, we were surprised to find significant increases in dissolved oxygen content and decreased turbidity at the downstream ends of the restored sites. Basically, this means better conditions for fish (and clearer water to enable us to catch them!). The results of this research have been accepted for publication in early 2012 in the well-respected, international scientific journal “Restoration Ecology”.

Understanding the Spread of Riparian Restoration in the Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere catchment

Nazra’s research was seriously disrupted by the 22^nd February earthquake. She was particularly interested in understanding how the concept of restoration was being spread in the catchment and applied theories of innovation and diffusion to her analysis.

These approaches are usually used to explain the adoption of new farm equipment or practices, and are not common in looking at restoration work. Because of the earthquake, the results are tentative, but it seems clear that the network of professionals working for community organisations (like WET) and councils play a critical role in the uptake of restoration. This is important as it supports the need to have continuity amongst people in such positions in these organisations and the need for councils to support NGO staffing and their own ‘care’ people if the community is to see real improvements on the ground.

From a Trust perspective it was good to get this independent validation of the efforts our staff have expended in building networks with council staff at several levels and, as a ratepayer, the value that councils get from supporting the Trust as well as its own staff. The message to staff is that time spent in networking is not wasted!

Some presentations can be downloaded now and the rest will be made available over the next week or so.

If you are coming on the field trip, please make sure you arrive well before 1pm to collect information and be marked off the list!  We may have one or two places available, but we will need know beforehand.  If you have not yet registered and would like to come along, please ring Adrienne on 021 052 9720.

Contact manager@wet.org.nz for further information