By Nanette McDonald
You may well have noticed a change at the corner of Ahiaruhe and Millar’s Roads. The native plantings and sign are the result of the first project of the Ahiaruhe Eco Area Catchment Group, which had its beginnings at a Beef and Lamb workshop on catchment groups at the Gladstone Complex late last year; followed by a community meeting in a neighbour’s woolshed in February.
The project was a real community effort. Following agreement to land use from the Carterton District Council, support from the Greater Wellington Regional Council (site preparation and plants), and coordination of community skills and resources (sign design and construction, more site preparation, planting, mulching and fencing), the group gathered in July and more than 250 native shrubs and flaxes were planted in about an hour.
The group’s vision is for a catchment that is rich in biodiversity and has a sustainable and diverse water environment that benefits people, the natural environment, and the economy of the local area.
Since the first planting day, there have been more planting days on various properties, and work is underway co-ordinating efforts to get rid of pests; especially those plant and animal species that destroy native plants and birds and are disease vectors. Some landowners will also be part of a pilot using FarmIQ to look at biodiversity.
For more information – see the Ahiaruhe Eco Area Catchment Group page.
______________________
First published in the Gladdy News, October 2020
