Manawatu’s Bush Nature Trail a Successful Venture

Forest and Bird, Issue 183, 1 February 1972, Page 21

Manawatu’s Bush Nature Trail a Successful Venture

By

G. Mew

"THIS nature trail was opened by His Worship the Mayor of Palmerston / North, Mr B. G. C. Elwood, on Rose Sunday, the 28th of November, 1971".

THE above statement, printed on the back of their nature trail leaflet, represents the culmination of the efforts of many members of the Manawatu Section over several months to prepare what, it is hoped, will become a permanent attraction to the Esplanade in the city of Palmerston North.

Events leading up to the Manawatu Section’s participation in the management of the Esplanade Bush have been described in a previous article in Forest and Bird (“Project To Rehabilitate Esplanade Bush in Palmerston North,” by R. M. Greenwood, No. 182, November 1972), in which it was mentioned that a nature trail was planned. The section committee decided that a trail through the bush would draw the public’s attention to an amenity which, it was considered, many people did not know existed/ The simplest idea, used both in New Zealand and overseas, seemed to be to put in a sequence of numbered posts near points of interest and to describe what might be seen from these points in an illustrated leaflet available to the public. A route was planned along existing paths so that no new incursions should be made into the already much depleted stand of native trees and shrubs, and the leaflet was prepared by members who are professional scientists at the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research," the Ministry of Works, and Massey University. Limited Finance Even though the basic idea was straightforward, it was soon realised that finance would be a problem in view of the section’s very limited local resources. However, various firms and organisations which were approached were

able to produce materials and services at a cost that should be recouped in a reasonable period of sale of the 10-cent leaflets to the public. All this help was gratefully received, and indeed without it the trail could not have been organised at all. A week before the official opening a 15-man team, assisted by a power-driven soil auger, put in the forty 4-ft-long by 4-in.-square posts which had been carved and painted with numbers (1 to 24) and arrows indicating directions between the stopping points. The day before the opening a smaller team tidied the paths and tracks, and on the day itself the distribution box was erected at the start of the trail in the fernery, an already established part of the gardens surrounding the bush on three sides. Opening day, which also marked the start of Forest and Bird Week to publicise the Society’s activities in the Manawatu, had been timed to coincide with the Esplanade Garden Party, a function arranged by the Palmerston North Public Relations Office. Fortunately a sunny afternoon attracted many people to the Esplanade and a large crowd listened to the Mayor’s speech. Afterwards, about 350 people bought leaflets and walked round the trail. Since then the turnover has been about 100 leaflets a week. Problems To Be Overcome Various problems, apart from those usual in any new venture, have been met in setting up and maintaining the trail. These are: • A balance has to be found between, on the one hand, overspending on making a trail and the necessary leaflet attractive

to the public and, on the other, pennypinching, which would make the public not take the project seriously. ® A satisfactory means of distributing the leaflets must be found. In the Esplanade Bush Nature Trail the leaflets are available from a distribution box with attached honesty box for 10-cent pieces at the start of the trail. As our records show that people are less than 50 percent honest, this method of distribution is not ideal. Unfortunately there is no kiosk in the Esplanade (this might well be the answer in some places); nor can Forest and Bird members staff a distribution point fulltime. At the moment the distribution box is visited twice daily by members on a roster system — in the morning to put in leaflets and in the evening to remove any that are left and the takings from the padlocked honesty box. Other means of selling the leaflet have been and are being investigated; it is also available from the Public Relations Office and public library. However, both these are a long way away and closed at weekends, when most people visit the Esplanade, and few have been sold through these outlets. ® Vandalism so far is not a major problem, but some of the numbers on the posts

have been scratched and a few leaflets

torn up and scattered. The person visiting the box in the evening has had to carry out a litter patrol around the trail.

A few leaves and branches get torn off and it may be desirable to re-route the trail after some time to give vegetation alongside the route a period for recovery. This raises the question of what sort of features should be brought to the public’s notice. If, for example, there is only one rata tree in an area, should attention be drawn to it, with the possibility that it may be lost through vandalism ?

Despite these problems, we feel that a much greater proportion of the population of Palmerston North, in addition to numerous visitors, are now aware of the Society’s existence and can see that it is taking practical conservation measures at a local level.

Putting in such a trail provides members with operative experience in conservation and adds variety to a programme of lectures and outings. We hope that other sections and branches may be stimulated into producing trails of this nature in their own districts.

Copies of the trail leaflet may be obtained from the Manawatu Section secretary, Mr M. G. Macdonald, 37 Newbury Street, Palmerston North.

Book Review "The Birds Around Us": R. H. D. Stidolph One of the greatest demands on our office is for pamphlets and books about parks, forests, plants, conservation, and birds that are written in layman’s language and not complicated with technical names. Such a book on birds has been written by one of the long-standing members of the Society, Mr R. H. D. Stidolph, of Masterton. Mr Stidolph has been a bird-watcher all his life and for 50 years has kept a diary of his observations. From these notes he writes up a most interesting account of these activities. One might expect such a work to be a little uninteresting to the non-ornithologist like myself, but on the contrary I found it interesting to the point that I could not put it down, and after reading only a short way, I felt I began to really know Mr Stidolph’s birds. For example, take this note in regard to the shining cuckoo : “The bird observed on January 23, 1937, had fallen through the bottom of the Warbler’s nest,

which had been built low in a willow growing in a small swamp in hill pasture, at the Devil’s Elbow, on the Taueru Road. The Cuckoo was on the ground beneath the nest and was being fed on damsel flies, wings included. Every time it excreted it raised its wings and elevated its tail, which was sprouting. The Warblers fed it every few minutes. The bird could not be found the next day. Further evidence of the strain the young Cuckoo sometimes causes on the nest structure is provided by the finding of a Warbler’s nest on January 2, 1939, at Te Whiti. This nest, placed five feet from the ground in an introduced broom, had broken open around the top, so that it was asunder for three parts of its sides, the back portion alone being intact. The nest was resting on a small fork, which gave it additional support. The young Cuckoo completely filled the interior of the nest.” This is a work that adult and junior members will equally delight in. It has been published by Hedley’s Bookshop, of Masterton, and our congratulations go to Mr Hedley for his enterprise and courage in undertaking the publication of such a book by a small bookshop. We sincerely hope the book is successful, and that if Mr Stidolph has any more similar material, another work may follow. Hedley’s Bookshop. $5.50. —L.W.