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| September 2000 |
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Wetland park of national importance It wasn't by chance that the Travis Wetland Trust received an award for an outstanding native wetland restoration project earlier this year. The trust, formed in 1992, was the driving force in lobbying the Christchurch City Council to buy the wetland to save it from a housing sub-division. Since the final purchase in 1996, the trust has continued to contribute to the development of the concept plan and vision for the wetland. The Travis Wetland Nature Heritage Park of nearly 120 hectares is the largest freshwater wetland remnant on the Canterbury Plains. Travis Wetland is a site of national importance for its soil and vegetation and for its pukeko population. It also provides a habitat for many other birds, including the white heron and the Australia cattle egrets. This year there was excitement in the ornithological world when an endangered Australasian brown bittern arrived at the Travis Wetland. The area also provides great potential for the restoration of a modified wetland, the creation of margin-forest habitats, ponding areas to encourage waterfowl and the reintroduction of locally extinct birds. These days the place is a hive of activity, mostly at weekends. The trust holds monthly workdays each Saturday and weekly meetings to discuss work programmes and any other issues. It works closely with the City Council's wetland management. The Christchurch Native Habitat group also works in the wetland and is involved in planting kahikatea and is studying weed-control methods. Recently a Travis Traipse was held during Kidsfest, which attracted 350 children to the recently erected viewing tower. The Kiwi Conservation Club, the junior arm of the Forest and Bird Society, has recorded a song called HeyPukeko. The tape, SingOutiwi, which contains other songs by Christchurch school children, can be obtained from Roger Lusby, 12 The Spur, Sumner (phone/fax 326 5373). Travis Wetland is also the site for university research. Canterbury University doctorate student Leanne O'Brien is basing some of her study of the rare Canterbury mudfish there and another student is concerned with wetas. He is building boxes to be put in trees so he can study the insect and he calls his huts Weta Hotels. Travis Wetland, an urban wetland, provides a link in the Garden City's network of parks, as well as being used for education and passive recreation. |
