Inlet cockle count to take place on Nov 27
The Guardians of Pauatahanui Inlet are going to be busy in the coming months.
The Pauatahanui Inlet clean-up will be held on Sunday, October 9, and a survey of the inlet’s cockle population will be done on Sunday, November 27.
The clean-up has been an annual event since 1992.
This year it will be jointly organised by the Guardians and Conservation Volunteers New Zealand.
Long time supporters Plimmerton Rotary will provide a barbecue for the volunteers after all the rubbish found in and around the inlet has been gathered into bags and piled up ready for disposal.
Volunteers for the clean-up are asked to assemble at the Browns Bay Car Park at 10.30am where they will be issued with rubbish bags, gloves and hi-viz vests before being allocated a section of the shoreline to work on.
The spring weather can be highly variable, so volunteers need to be prepared for any weather. Strong shoes or boots are recommended.
Cockle surveys have been run every three years, since 1992. Cockles form a large proportion of the living organisms in the inlet, so changes in the population size are a direct indicator of the biological health of the inlet.