Friday, May 3, 2024

Pest free: Huge effort to get rid of rats, possums and mustelids

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Environment 

It’s a mammoth project that needs huge effort but looks like many service organisations and groups, including schools, have joined hands with the Local Board to help make Howick pest free.

Pest Free Howick Ward is a Local Board-funded project that aims to free the entire Howick Ward (Pakuranga, Howick, Botany, Flat Bush and East Tamaki) from pests.

Rotary Service Clubs, Lions and the Friends of Mangemangeroa have pitched in to achieve this goal.

Bucklands Beach Peninsula’s unique positioning is similar to an island with water boundaries on three sides which makes it easier to create a predator trap boundary to stop pests getting through.

Pest Free Howick Ward has been working closely with local communities to provide free rat traps and trapping advice to enthusiastic residents.

A number of residents have already taken advantage of this offer and are actively involved in backyard trapping.

To be even more effective, approximately one in every five households must be involved. A comprehensive trapping programme is being carried out at Musick Point by Ngai Tai ki Tamaki and the next phase is to extend the trapping network throughout the entire Bucklands Beach Peninsula.

The project has allowed for all Bucklands Beach Primary School children to also receive a free rat trap (if they and their families wish to sign up to the project) to get them started with backyard trapping.

Bucklands Beach trap handout area

Every household will soon receive more information on how they can collect free predator traps and become involved in this crucial effort to make Bucklands Beach Peninsula pest free and help to protect our environment.

Trap Library East Auckland is supplying possum and mustelid traps for the project.

For further information contact pestfreehowick@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or phone 021 560 417

Trap hand out days are over the month of February 2020

BB Primary – every Wednesday 2.30pm to 4pm

BB Bowling Club – Saturday Feb 15 & 28, 10am to 2pm

 

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