Land-clearing threat to white heron denied

Press, 14 August 1980, Page 2

Land-clearing threat to white heron denied

Greymouth reporter < A report in “The Press” of Tuesday saying that the white heron on the West Coast is again under a grave threat has been denied by the chief engineer of the Westland Catchment Board (Mr H. E. Clarke). The report said that the board had approved a tim-ber-milling application of about 240 ha, but Mr Clarke said it was "nothing like that size.” The area involved in the clearing of land for development at the top of the Waitangiroto River was “quite insignificant in the over-all picture,” and no water and soil values were at stake with it.

The total swamp upstream covered a big area, with about 400 hectares (about 1000 acres), but the area subject to the application

was relatively small by comparison. “If you isolate it, it would not have a lot of bearing,” Mr Clarke said. “However, what could cause concern downstream with the effects of land development would be the draining of the whole swamp area.” A working committee had suggested that a strip of land on the fight bank of the Waitangiroto be bought by the- Crown and the farmers be allowed to develop the rest, and it had been suggested, that as the Waintagi Te Ona was higher than the swamp upstream, a drain be installed for several km downstream — but nothing had come of this after it had been referred to Wellington.

“It is certainly in the Crown’s corner,” Mr Clarke said. “The board did its part.”