Bad news for Northland pests
The Northland Regional Council has boosted this year’s $20,000 Environmental Leaders Fund (ELF) with another $10,000 worth of equipment for the trapping, killing and tracking of pests by pupils at 17 schools around the region.
Councillor Joce Yeoman said the contestable fund was designed to boost students’ environmental knowledge, passion and practice, this year’s extra biosecurity-targeted funding enabling the purchase of seven live capture traps, 55 Timms (possum) traps, 90 rat traps, 35 DoC 200 (stoat/rat/ hedgehog) traps, 130 leg-hold traps, various other rat/mouse traps and baits, and tracking materials for monitoring pest populations. The council also had four motion-activated trail cameras, with night vision capability, that schools could borrow.
All but one of the 35 schools that shared this year’s total ELF funding of $30,000 were involved in the national Enviroschools programme, which was now in place at more than 90 Northland schools and kindergartens.
Ms Yeoman said it was great to see young people taking such a keen interest in proactively helping to protect their local environment, Hukerenui School principal Bastienne Kruger saying around 35 of the school’s 160 pupils would put the traps to good use.
“These children actually run the programme themselves. From working with teachers, to teaching the classes and planning, it’s all student-led, and I think that’s very important.”
Ms Yeoman said a wide range of projects had received funding since ELF’s inception three years ago..
Applications could be made for a maximum of $2000, with projects relating to biodiversity, biosecurity and water quality typically having a greater chance of success. All Northland schools would be contacted by email when applications for the 2019 funding round opened next year.
Details of other community funding available from the council can be found at www.nrc.govt.nz/funding.