Recent flooding of the Waimata River caused the banks to collapse, and the river turned to liquid mud. As a result, our Chairperson Dame Anne wrote a plea to take care of the rivers in the Turanga district.  This was published in the Gisborne Herald and attracted widespread support.

At a meeting of the Turanganui-a-Kiwa Water Quality Enhancement project on 1 May, Longbush was offered as a research site for river restoration.  Planning is under way for a ‘mountains to sea’ management plan for the Waimata River.

Steve Sawyer and his team have achieved a world first in the hills of Longbush by successfully translocating and releasing a number of Titi – the first instance anywhere of an inland release of this beautiful animal.  Five individuals were hand fed in artificial burrows and, in their own good time, took off one by one for their OE.  We expect them back in about three years and in the meantime further releases will be made over the next 2 years.  This is a significant achievement and is attracting great interest in the scientific and ecological community.

Tyler the Titi contemplates an extended holiday

We’ve been lucky to have the great team from Turanga Ararau working with Patsy from Eco-works to get this year’s plantings in the ground. And with Spring now on us, their latest efforts are already forging ahead.

Megan Wraight, one of New Zealand’s finest landscape architects, visits Longbush to begin work on a 10 year ecological landscape plan.

After being alerted to unauthorised felling of trees in its scenic reserve at Donner’s Bush, Doc has put up a sign …

we can’t wait for the river bank to be restored to its original beauty.

Nice bit of publicity for  Longbush, featured in the “Green” section of Home magazine, April 2011 edition.

Great news from the Biodiversity Fund. We have received a grant which will paid over the next three years to help us set up the inland titi colony at  Longbush.

The trustees having been eyeing the esplanade between the river and the gravel road that leads to the Ecosanctuary from Gisborne city. There are some fine remnant stands of bush there, but also heaps of weeds – blackberry, pampas, old man’s beard, you name it. With the help of Gisborne District Council staff, we have just discovered that this is in fact a DOC Scenic Reserve (although DOC had forgotten they owned it).

We are now figuring out a way of working together with DOC and GDC to restore Donner’s Bush to its former glory. This will be great for the Waimata River.

Watch out for the Titi!  The H.B. Williams Turanga Trust and the World Wildlife Fund have given grants to support the re-establishment of an inland titi (sooty shearwater) colony at Longbush Ecosanctuary during 2011.  Titi and other seabirds were once a major source of guano, dropped on the bush during their flights inland, and a key source of nutrients for native trees and plants.

We’re Tax Free

The Longbush Ecological Trust was registered with the Charities Commission and IRD on 9 December 2010, and can now receive donations on a tax-free basis – don’t hold back ……

Our first release of North Island robins has been a great success, with 12 birds relocated from Bill and Sally Gaddums’ farm at Matawai.  They seem to have settled in well, and turn up regularly for feeding at a number of sites in the reserve.  Brent Stevenson did the honours, and Patsy has been doing the catering since.