Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1904. OUR BUSH AND BIRDS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume xxii, Issue 6458, 30 December 1904, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1904. OUR BUSH AND BIRDS.

The sub jest of scenery preservation is one that has not received much attention from the residents of the Ashburton County, and yet it is a very important one for future generations. Vast areas of native bush have disappeared already before the axe and the torch, and the amount that remains is small enough to attract remark. The necessity of reserving areas to serve, as parks and playgrounds for the people, is a subject to which the pubtic attention bus been directed on previous occasions. There are suveral bush areas that are admirably adapted for the purpose, and now that the Scenery Preservation Commission 13 visiting different parts of the colony with the object of inspecting areas of nativa bush, and selecting some to be set aside as national reserves, tho local bodies o p the County should consider this question «nd make some application to the Government to have certain portions of the bush existing in the County included in the selected .areas. At Peel Forest there are two pieces of native bush which might be recommended to the favourable attention of thn SceDery Preservation Commission. One is the property of tho late Mr Mills, and contains about d 4 acres. It is, we believe, practically inbact, and in its purely primitive condition. As a park suitable for picnic parties and the like, this particular area is equal to any to be found in the colony, and probably the Commission are only waiting to be aaked to add it to the list of areas reserved. The other area at Peol Forest is one belonging to Mr E. Lorgelly, and contains about 60 acres. Portion of this area has been already cleared, but it is still covered with a beautiful piece of bush. Both of these areas are about 23 miles distant from Ashburton, so that picnic parties could readily make the trip thera and back in a day. besides these, there are the Alford Forest Government Timber Reserves, containing 700 acre 3of fine forest. Portion of this could be picked out and set aside for preservation. . The areas at Peel Forest are very valuable,' both from a scientific and from an aesthetic point of view. They show typical native vegetation practically quite intact, and that is what is required to preserve groups of characteristic native bush. At Alford Forest the chief treo is the birch, but the appearance of the bush is very attractive. To.all these areas there are good roads, and plenty of water in the creeks and rivulets to supply the wants of picnickers. Native birds are still fairly numerous there, and their presence and the notes they utter, add to the general attractiveness of the scenery In Canterburyffthe only work yet accomplished by the Commission has been done at RaineliCf Bush, in South Canterbury, wherejan area has been inspected and practically reserved. This question of reserving the best scenic areas, is orte; that concerns future generations more intimately than it does the present residents of the County. Future generations will want to ccc something of Old New Zealand, and now is the time to take tho necessary steps to ensure that they will have the opportunity of seeing what New Zealand native bush i 3 like. When the bush disappears, the native birds of the colony will disappear with it, and if the latter are to be preserved, suitable homes must be preserved for thorn. Mr W. W. Smith once remarked on the striking increase in the number of bell birds to be found in' the Alford Forest; and Mount Sowers Hush. These birds are among the finest that the coloDy produces, and their extinction would be very regrettable. Every man or woman who has the patriotic instinct developed afc all strongly, is anxious to preserve from extinction anything such us bush or birds peculiar to his own country. There is little doubt that any application made to the Commissioners A-ould be favourably viewed by them, and it is to be hoped some move will be made in this direction by resolution or otherwise by the various public bodies of the County. The Cointnission's .labours will not conclude for a while yet, but when once they are disbanded, the opportunity of reserving bush areas will be gon<\ for once this Commission has done its work, it is not likely that another will.be appointed.