Award Nominee

Kelceys Bush is a unique podocarp hardwood forest, which is a genetic repository of indigenous plants, with a rich birdlife. An area of unique wilderness in the hills west of Waimate, the forest is a rugged blend of native forest. Invasive weeds such as gorse, broom, blackberry, old mans beard and hawthorn are, however, threatening this natural lowland bush.

Since the forming of the group in March 2002, Friends of Kelceys Bush Incorporated has made steady progress towards preserving and improving the public asset of Kelceys Bush. The Department of Conservation has entrusted the Society with a shared management role, through a Memorandum of Understanding. The purpose of this is to co-ordinate the activities of the Department and the Society, fostering a collaborative working relationship with each other.

A key function of the Society is the provision of voluntary labour, materials and organisational support for specific works and projects at Kelceys Bush. Friends of Kelceys Bush Inc has representatives from Department of Conservation, Environment Canterbury, Ngai Tahu, Waimate District Council, and a number of Waimate-based recreational and environmental organisations. The Society is working on ways it can raise awareness of what is special and unique about Kelceys Bush, and the importance of biodiversity and conservation. It recognises the need for people to learn and work together in a positive and enthusiastic way, and aims to provide opportunities for this to happen.

In 2006, the Society drafted a ten-year management plan, which provides a detailed record of a vision and goals for Friends of Kelceys Bush Inc. An important facet of this plan is to promote and carry out control of animal pests and weeds. The following actions, relating to this control, are documented in the management plan:

1) To conduct regular site visits to identify areas requiring work e.g. branch clearance, grass cutting, weed control.

2) To control weed invasion on tracks and at the entranceway of Kelceys Bush, and coordinate and supervise weed control along the Whitehorse walkway.

3) To promote awareness of potential new pest invaders to ensure these are dealt with in a timely manner before they can become established.

4) To support and assist authorities in the investigation and management of pests/weeds.

5) To discourage the removal of indigenous plants from the Reserve.

In essence, the Society is based on on-the-ground work. Implementing these actions essentially involves working bees, which aim to control weed invasion at targeted sites around the bush, and an active liaison with the Department of Conservation and Local Government Authorities regarding potential new pests and management techniques to control existing and new nuisance weed species. A number of the group have undertaken a two-day chainsaw safety course to ensure the work they are undertaking in the Bush is as safe as possible. While coordinated working bees are run, a number of individuals in the Society also take it upon themselves to mow the roadsides, pick up scattered rubbish, and ensure the tracks are free from debris, in their own time.

Friends of Kelceys Bush Inc considers it vitally important to educate the younger generation about the bush, its values, and threats to these values. The group has, thus, developed an education programme for local schools, which involves tours around the bush stopping at stations to discuss things of interest, issues and solutions. The threats that weeds pose to the Bush are emphasised in this programme. Though only a new initiative, a number of local schools have already taken advantage of the programme and have been on guided tours of the Bush.

Additionally, the Society organise and host at least one public information/education evening annually, where presentations/discussions focus on current issues of interest (such as weed control).

Through my work with the Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury), I have worked with Friends of Kelceys Bush Inc for just over a year. They are a very passionate group (though unfortunately, an unrecognised one), and I feel they are very deserving of an award that acknowledges the fantastic work they are doing. If this group had not established itself four years ago, there is no doubt that Kelceys Bush would not be in the favoured picnic spot, walking track and popular recreational area it is today.

Julia Laming, Resource care Coordinator, Environment Canterbury (nominator)