We have some exciting news….. East Taranaki Collective in collaboration with the Department of Conservation and Pukerangiora Hapū will be helping Everett Park recreational and bush reserve enjoy a new lease of life.
Up until now, ETEC’s field operations focus has been on 13,000ha of land further to the east between Okoki and Matau, where pest control operations are resulting in strong growth in numbers of kiwi. This conservation effort is proving so successful that the area is now the stronghold of the North Island western brown kiwi.
Everett Park Scenic Reserve is 8km east of Inglewood, is the largest reserve on the Taranaki ring plain outside of the region’s national park, Te Papakura o Taranaki. It is culturally significant as a traditional site as a mahinga kai and kāinga for hapū and iwi.
Located about halfway between Inglewood and the conservation estate, ETEC sees its inclusion into our operational strategy as a logical addition to our activities.
It is all very much in keeping with the Trusts desire to take a collaborative approach with other parties to protect and improve the ecosystem and biodiversity of the eastern part of Taranaki region.
Considered to be an outstanding remnant example of the podocarp forest that once dominated the Taranaki landscape, it was set aside by the Crown in 1889 and made a reserve in 1919.
Since then the 85ha reserve has been one of Taranaki’s prime recreational assets, with generations of locals enjoying Everett Park for such activities as bush walking, picnicking, camping, and fishing and swimming in the Manganui River.
Thanks to the protection by the Crown 132 years ago, most of Everett Park has never been logged so is in its original natural state, but its forest suffers from browsing by possums, while native bird life is under continual threat from mustelids, rodents and feral cats.
To help rectify this the Department of Conservation, which administers Everett Park Scenic Reserve, has entered into a collaboration with ETEC and Pukerangiora Hapū to protect the reserve’s ecosystem and biodiversity.
Baseline monitoring has already begun in the Everett Park bush, with the children of nearby Norfolk School assisting in the placement of several lines of tracking tunnels and chew cards to help gauge numbers of rats and possums in the reserve.
ETEC staff and volunteers will use the results from this surveying to plan and implement a trapping programme to protect all our native species.
***Everett Parks easy accessibility will provide an opportunity for our existing volunteers, the community and stakeholders to be actively involved in our conservation activities. If you are interested in getting involved please contact our team on info@etec.org.nz