Help for robin colony

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33386, 19 November 1973, Page 2

Help for robin colony

Modifications to the Marlborough Catchment Board’s plans for the Kowhai River and Mount Fyffe flood way could be •the salvation of the bush robin colony in the Kowhai Reserve. At a recent meeting of the board a report was tabled on [ the proposed floodway’s effect on the robins’ habitat along the northern bank of (the Kowhai River. Because of the slope of the fan through the reserve, and the gradient of the floodway, it was impossible to aitei the alignment of the floodway to avoid the bush robin habitat, and this was accepted by the Internal Affairs Department and Nature Conservation Council, the board’s engineer (Mr P. A. Thomson) reported. The original plans showed i six echelon banks and a river

j control bank through the area [ occupied by the robins. Two , banks cut through low- ’ density areas of population, I and half of three other banks 5 were through areas free of 1 the birds. The board intended > to build 110 chains of bank ' through high-density areas. The revised proposal left e only 10 chains in those areas, j apart from a bank along the floodway, and one along the s present route of Floodgate t Creek diversion, neither of f which would cause any further disturbance. In order to achieve the reduced disturbance to the 3 robin habitat, the spacing of el

echelon stopbanks had been; increased by eliminating one; bank and by placing some longitudinal banking close to the active river channel. Mr Thomson said that no detailed cost estimates had been prepared for the original or revised proposals, but it was apparent that any changes would be small. This was because the amount of costly construction work within the scrub areas was substantially reduced. The cost of the work would actually be less because of river realignment and the avoidance of bush robin areas.