Riwaka School gets trapping!

There was much enthusiasm from the children in Rūma Puketāwhai at Riwaka School for our MCC Pest Management Visit last month.

The class had already put out chew cards stuffed with peanut butter to try to identify which pests were visiting their school grounds & Steve Holloway from MAD Conservation was keen to show which teeth patterns were associated with which pest. The kids gathered around him excitedly to find out who had bitten what!

Steve moved on to show the traps we had brought along, donated by MAD Conservation & the Motueka Catchment Collective, and to show how to set them & bait them safely & to plan where the best trapping spots might be.

Steve also brought a t-shirt for Taane Mills, the most enthusiastic pest trapper in Ruma Puketāwhai , & Taane got a big round of applause for being such a motivated conservation leader.

Steve & I were so happy to see how educated & enthusiastic the children already were thanks to Taane & their teacher Tina Tonks & we left feeling that the future of pest management in Riwaka is in great hands.

Tina Tonks, teacher of Rūma Puketāwhai, has shared this fantastic video created by the talented Taane Mills, the class’s trapping lead. It captures our visit to Riwaka School, the trap set-up in action, and even a few of their early catches. Take a look — it’s well worth watching!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zLTTSCHkYk8Pmwxp6. 

By Lucy Maxwell, MCC