New Plymouth's Chalmers Home residents have been helping Taranaki Regional Council to pursue its Towards Predator-Free Taranaki initiative.
The project aims to restore the sound and movement of wildlife and rejuvenate the native plants in the region. One of the main ways to achieve this is by building a trapping network across the region in both rural and urban areas.
Chalmers Home recreation officer Jonny Breedon invited council representatives to talk to the residents about the work that is being done in the region and the positive impacts it’s having on the native plants and wildlife.
“They provided us with three rat trap kits that we could build and set in the green space around Chalmers Home. We wasted no time getting to work - a group of eager residents put their woodwork skills to good use to build the traps. Then we were off to place them carefully in ideal spots in the green space and bush across the road from the home.”
The work is ongoing, with the residents checking the boxes regularly on their daily walks so they can record success and re-set the traps if needed.
Towards Predator-Free Taranaki’s Steve Ellis says it’s great to have Chalmers Home on board as a supporter.
“We were really impressed with the interest from the residents. We got a lot of great questions about local biodiversity and the different traps and control methods being used.
“Chalmers residents can be proud that they are helping restore and protect our native wildlife and hopefully they will soon notice lots more birds visiting the garden as a result!”