November-December-January Report
There was such a lot happening, much of it still in the process of resolution, that a November report was not made.
Then the usual over-full December shot by , and everyone was off for much needed holidays.
So we are now covering those busy months at Gahnia Grove all at once, and have split the report into several posts covering different areas of interest, appearing in "News" prior to this post, with the links also included below.
Local history snippet - The two large mown areas near Glenfield Rd uphill of the Petrol Station, sometimes referred to as "The Clearings", are not in fact "clearings" of the forest, (which was entirely razed prior to regeneration sometime after the 1960s) but areas where natural regeneration on an otherwise bare ridge has been limited by mowing for several decades, presumably to maintain space for recreation. This was confirmed in discussion in discussion discussion with a dog-walker who has lived and walked in the immediate area for 60 years.
Hours of work on Gahnia Grove were:
November:
Liaison: 7.5 hrs; Monitoring: 49.5 hrs Weed-control: 38.5 hrs November total: 95.5
YTD: 49 hrs liaison and research; 109 hrs monitoring and documentation; 137.5 hrs of weed control; YTD Total : 295.5 hrs
December:
Liaison: 11 hrs; Monitoring: 28 hrs; Weed-control: 58 hrs
YTD: 60 hrs liaison and research; 137 hrs monitoring and documentation; 195.5 hrs of weed control; YTD Total : 392.5 hrs
It is worth noting that more volunteer hours than usual were spent onsite in December, because -
We were on holiday! ...
...we had the materials and the necessary agreements to pursue several interesting aspects of the Project...
...we had become aware of the need for fire hazard prevention, having created a large amount of dead, dry, loose wood and grass, with much of it showing no sign of rotting down to a dense mulch anytime soon, near a large open area of dead, dry manuka brush and also very accessible to the partygoing public (human faeces found in full view on the grass path, and at least an occasional rough sleeper, a shy young chap with tousled hair and a pillow, leaving the Glade at dawn one morning.
...but above all, among the multicoloured wildflowers and soft new foliage of Gahnia Grove was a lovely place to be those fresh early mornings.
Volunteer Hours also reflect the wish to keep the site optimally attractive in this particularly public situation with the opportunity of creating awareness of the possibilities of restoration and of manual control.
Much of the "Sitework" or "Weed control" time recorded in this trial is spent observing, photographing, thinking, planning and experimenting, the purposes for which this particular Project was designed. In this situation, and conducting the trial as a hobby, we are at liberty to indulge ourselves in leisurely exploration and the spontaneous plucking of small weeds that results; or to sit and watch tui ground weeding and bees pollinating among the wildflowers.
So in this trial we won't be able to produce cost estimates for, or demonstrate, the most efficient method of achieving the desired transition. Just a very enjoyable and, we hope, effective one. The same end-results could undoubtedly be achieved more cost-effectively with shorter, less frequent visits, and less attention to detail, especially when an already-educated public accepts a less "gardened" appearance during the transition from destructive weeds to native forest margin.
Thank you all for supporting this opportunity to enjoy all of the above.
For "the news in full", see
Weed control - Spring summary:
https://inaturalist.nz/projects/gahnia-grove-site-summary-and-discussion/journal/20963-weed-control-winter-spring-summary
Contractor Assistance provided by Auckland Council Parks:
https://inaturalist.nz/projects/gahnia-grove-site-summary-and-discussion/journal/20965-contractor-assistance-missions-accomplished
Protection from trampling by volunteer/s and reserve users::
https://inaturalist.nz/projects/gahnia-grove-site-summary-and-discussion/journal/20958-pedestrian-access-through-gahnia-grove
Flame Tree invasion of Gahnia Grove:
https://inaturalist.nz/projects/gahnia-grove-site-summary-and-discussion/journal/20959-flame-tree-invasion-accelerating-in-gahnia-grove-s-kanuka-canopy
Native seedling development
https://inaturalist.nz/projects/gahnia-grove-site-summary-and-discussion/journal/21007-native-seedlings-starting-to-appear-in-recently-cleared-areas
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