We have been very busy since our last newsletter.
Half the Cambridge High School first year students have so far been on various projects, planting trees, mulching around previous plantings and, when the weather was unsuitable, in our nursery shed potting on plants for later planting. They have been very interested in what we have been doing and there have been some searching questions asked. Their behaviour has been excellent.
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On Friday June the 25th we had a major working bee in the form of a chain gang of vehicles with trailers which were loaded up with trees and taken to Lumb Park where another group of workers transported the trees with a 4 wheel bike and trailer to the lower level of Poets Track.
One thousand trees are being planted here with the help of some very hard working local residents and Trust Members. Last year's planting has given the banks a totally new look.
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Also on the move were a truck and trailer load of trees to St Peters School. These trees had been growing on for over a year in our nursery.
The students from St Peters had potted on their Trees as they outgrew the bags they were in. They had to spend a few sessions with us at the nursery to get this work done thus learning the many stages of growing trees.
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You may have noticed some comments in the local paper about the walking tracks and how they are financed.
The finance we get from the Council is for the planting of the trees along the walkways, not the actual walkways themselves. The Council has supplied the mud mat that goes under the metal to prevent the metal sinking away. The timber for the Poets Track (that was made last year by the P.D. gang) was second hand as it came from the cycle track in Te Awamutu.
The Council gave the metal for the Poets Track and one load of metal for the work on the river walkway. They have shifted 10 loads of metal from a roadside dump at the request of the Tree Trust.
This has been used by the P.D. gang by wheel-barrowing it along the length of the track, filling as they go. In places the track has been raised by up to half a metre with the aid of retaining walls and broken concrete filling.
All the rest of the materials have been purchased or sourced by the Tree Trust, the money coming from two grants from the Lions Club of Cambridge.
The river itself hasn't been helpful. It has driven us off the job on many occasions.
We get frustrated with the delays as we are eager to complete this work.
This is nature and we just have to live with it
As the Track has already been under at least two metres of waters and survived we are hopeful it will stand up to a normal year of rain. The track is raised up in places so that it does not go under water so often when the river rises just a small amount.
At last we have a decent walkway along the Waikato River so that everybody can enjoy one of our major assets.
We have many people to thank for their assistance with supplies and labour.
I.T.M. Waikato, for timber, nails, wire and cement, Langsford for metal, Eric Moss Fencing, for offcuts of pipe. The Council, for mud mat and the other half of the metal
The local and Hamilton Corrections Department workers have done most of the physical work and a great job they have done. We have noted the pride that they have got out of this job and we thank them for the wonderful help. Peter Haines has been an outstanding team leader. To the Trust members who answered the call when needed, thanks.
There have been a couple of new recruits that have come to help. Makes a world of difference when you just have to ask for something to be done and it gets done. Thanks.
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The Dominion Road Riverbank Walkway has cost approximately $4,500.00 and if it had been done by contractors it would have been up to $100.000.00 and not been even considered by Council.
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To stay youthful, stay useful.
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Noted in the local paper asking people to stand for the Community Board one of the items was Development of the Green Belt.
What Development? One playground and a lot of talk.
The Oak Arboretum is just going around in circles. There have been discussions on the plans for ages. This has been on the District Plan for many years.
We supplied the cost of the planters to the Council in November 2003
What is not known is that The Tree Trust has been pushing this project to move the trees out of a local nursery for over a year and at long last it seems that every thing is all go. The surveyor has laid out the planned plots for each planter. The fencer has been going hard at it ever since the 14th of July to get the surrounds in place so that the trees can be planted this spring
What annoys us most is that the Council takes close on $100,000.00 a year off the Green Belt in leases and puts very little back.
In the past twelve years over a million dollars has disappeared and very little gets done and then the Community Board has to ask for funds for the tree Planters out of the reserve account. This is dishonest.
*** Wear Donald Duck Undies
Choose a few childlike accoutrements to remind you of the irreverent, uninhibited, joyous side of life.
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The Maungatautari Ecological Island.
The campaign to rid the two enclosures of pests has begun.
Before poisoning begins the whole area is to be divided into 25 metre squares on Cambridge side and 50 metre squares on Pukeatua side.
Parallel lines 25m apart plotted north to south by compass and by G.P.S. Device are cut through the bush and marked by coloured ribbons tied to saplings etc. Every 25m along the lines a cardboard tunnel is put in place held down by wire ties. When all are in place, poisoning begins. A pad with special ink is placed in the bottom of each tunnel (550 in total on the Cambridge side) These lines are to be monitored so that any pads showing pest prints (mice, rats, hedgehogs, ferrets etc.) will give experts an indication of the numbers of unwanted animals in the enclosure.
The whole area will be laced with poison by helicopter ( a slow kill poison, not 1080 or cyanide). The lines are to be monitored weekly, right through to the end of the year. When the experts are satisfied that the last mouse has been eliminated it is hoped that the release of Kiwi and Weka can begin.
Sounds easy! Just come with me on one of the track cutting expeditions!!
The mind boggles at the amount of voluntary in-put required.
By Jim McKnight.
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On the 25th of July we are to have a group of people from the Bahai of Waipa come and do a group planting. These people come once a year and give us some valuable help
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From Rural Tours on the 28th of August we will have a visit with a 120 overseas students for a public planting of native trees. This will take place at the back of the Rotary Kauri Grove on Shakespeare Street.
News Flash
The oaks for the arboretum are to be moved on Monday the 26th July and heeled in sawdust at the Tree Trust Nursery until planting. Council communications did not happen according to plan so planting is still delayed.
The new stairs below the high level bridge are finished at a cost of $40.000.00 this will make a lot of difference to the Poet's Track if only the council continues and fixes the other muddy places and missing steps on this track.
The daffodils in Lamb and Carlyle Streets are still being mowed even though they have warning signs up on he fence posts beside the areas.
The Cambridge Tree Trust members and Trustees have been asked to join with the Landscape and Greenbelt Committee for a drive around Cambridge to suggest sites for further plantings or improvements, on Saturday the 14th of August leaving from the Service centre at 9am.
Spotted in the area.
A Karearea (n.z.falcon) has seen by two groups of people in Addison Street and opposite the Warehouse on the riverbank.
Social Dinner
We would like to have a Social dinner at the Prince Albert Tavern for any of our members who would like to attend.
The dinner costs approximately $25.00 per head on Tuesday the 24th of August at 6.30pm
If we could have numbers so that we could book please phone either
