The Parkvale Catchment Charitable Trust has been in full swing over recent months, kicking off with a field day held at Wiltons Road Dairy in April. This was a well-attended day with over 70 people attending the event. The day involved a social get-together with BBQ lunch provided by the Trust to celebrate the fantastic wetland creation done by Elise and Clarence Stolte on their dairy unit on Wiltons Road. This work was done in partnership with Greater Wellington Regional Council who have been a key supporter of the Trust.
The field day was an opportunity for the Trust to introduce themselves, tell the story of how they came to be, and describe the goals the group have going forward. These include taking the front foot on environmental conservation within the catchment, supporting landowners through regulation change and combining this work with events to build a strong fellowship within the community. The desire of the Trust is to help educate and facilitate environmental work with landowners and the wider community.
A second field day provided by the Trust involved Freshwater sampling training. This was facilitated by Pūkaha to Kawakawa and led by Liz Gibson, a freshwater ecologist from Wellington Mountains to Sea. The day involved testing the water quality at three sites along the Parkvale Stream. The first site was at the top end of the stream on Parkers Road, the second about mid-way along at Hughes Line and the last site was at the bottom at the confluence with the Ruamahanga River. The day was enjoyed by all, with a lot learnt about the technical side of water testing. The day offered an opportunity for like-minded people to come together to learn more about the Parkvale Stream and how it changes on its migration through the catchment and learn the different ways to measure stream health. The group intends to have another day like this soon and hopes to work with schools to get youth involved and engaged in this type of work.
The group recently had its very first planting day where a portion of the Parkvale Stream on Hughes Line was planted. Over 20 volunteers came to help and together over 200 plants were planted in one hour – a testament to the strength of the volunteers within our community.
We welcome new people to get involved with the Trust so please connect with us on our Facebook Group or get in touch at parkvale007@gmail.com.
Written by Lisa Stevenson, Parkvale Catchment Coordinator
Liz Gibson from Mountains to Sea shows the Parkvale Catchment Group what invertebrates live in the upper reaches of their catchment.
