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Hello

  

We hope this newsletter finds you well and brings you a good distraction in these unsettling times of lockdowns and high alert levels.

 

Yet again we are locked down, but the penguin season has fully begun and they are busy building nests, laying eggs and starting to raise chicks, unaware of the COVID-19 chaos around them. Fewer people and dogs on the beaches and fewer vehicles on coast roads potentially means a slightly easier start to the season for our New Zealand penguins.

 

We have had some changes in the Trust since the last newsletter. We welcome Robin Long as new Chair, elected at our recent AGM, and we say a temporary farewell to Reuben Lane while he takes some time for other projects and adventures. We are also recruiting a new Ranger to take over from Matt Charteris and all his great work over the past three years as he also focuses on other projects.

 

Our AGM also means a new annual report (available here) and we're delighted to share all the news and progress made by the Trust and give our thanks to our many sponsors, donors and Supporters.

 

Our education resource has had a major makeover and is almost ready to go to the printers as the second edition, which is great news for everyone; watch this space!

 

While the local Westland petrels are receiving more funding this year to help with research projects, sadly the African penguin is struggling.

 

Read more about all these stories below.

 

And finally, we can never seem to say this often enough. Sadly penguins are still being killed by dogs including one recently on the cycle trail in Greymouth. Please do take care when out with your dogs on the beach and coastal areas, and encourage other dog owners to do the same. Keep them away from the dunes and under control at the beach, and on a lead when in or passing through the coastal vegetation. We have dunes where chicks may be waiting for parents returning with food, so it is an important time to pay as much attention as possible. And just a quick reminder that if you do see an injured penguin or any wildlife that seems to be struggling, please call DOC for assistance on the hotline, 0800 DOCHOT (362 468) and do all you can to ensure it is safe from dogs. If you see or hear about a dead penguin, please let us know, ideally with a photograph, so that we can add it to our database - which informs conservation actions. 

 

Read on for all our news, thank you for your interest and support, and please feel free to forward this newsletter or any stories to a friend or someone you meet on your walk in lockdown!

 

Lucy Waller

 

Education and Awareness Ranger

 

Seeking a new Penguin Ranger!

 

Are you passionate about conservation and want to help protect penguins on the West Coast?  We are looking for a part-time ranger, predominantly working in the Buller, mainly in the Charleston area, around 20 hours pw on average.

Applications close 5pm, next Wednesday, 8th September.

 

Find out more here.

 

 
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Welcoming a new Chair 

 

After two years as Trust Chair, Reuben Lane has stepped down as both Chair and Trustee for the next year to focus on other projects and, at the recent AGM, Robin Long was elected as Chair.

The Trust is very fortunate to have Robin taking on this, bringing a great deal of field experience and wisdom to the role as well as five years' experience as a Trustee.

 

Read more here.

 
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Finding out more about the Westland Petrel

 

Matt Charteris and Reuben Lane have been working with DOC biodiversity ranger and project leader, Kate Simister recently, monitoring and studying Westland petrels.

The Conservation Services Programme (CSP) monitors the impact of commercial fishing on protected species and supports studies into relevant populations.  Recent CSP funding means more work is underway to understand and better protect Westland petrels or tāiko.

 

Read more here.

 
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Penguin ramps cut to help penguins reach their nests

 

Coastal erosion north of Hokitika has left blue penguins or kororā struggling to get down to the beach and then back up to their nests after a hard day's fishing.

This year, as the penguins are starting their breeding season and sitting on nests, Westland Milk Products came to the rescue.

 

Read more here.

 
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Penguin autopsy - gruesome driving lesson

 

Sadly fewer vehicles on the roads didn't protect this blue penguin on the Coast Road recently.  Vet Marjan Sprock helped the Trust with dissection classes last year and kindly performed and recorded images and notes from an autopsy for us. 

Lesson is - please drive slower at night on coast roads.

 

Learn more here.

 
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Annual blue penguin count dates set

 

The dates are set! Get down to the beach next month and start counting please! The Great Annual West Coast Blue Penguin Count 2021 will be 21-27 October.

An early morning walk on your local beach could be just what you need and provide us with some helpful information as well.

Many thanks!

 

Find out how to get involved here

 
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Celebrate Conservation Week 4th - 12th September 2021

 

As much as you can, why not take a moment to celebrate and connect back to nature this Conservation Week, which starts tomorrow. Whether it is a walk on the beach or a nature hunt with the family in the garden or close to home, get back into nature and 'Stop, Look, Listen'.

 

Read more on the DOC website here.

 

* Events, including two in Greymouth, have been postponed due to COVID-19 response.

 
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The plight of the African penguin

 

Did you know there were penguins in Africa?  Or that they dig nest-burrows, with guano (faeces of seabirds and seals)? And that the removal of guano for commercial purposes forces penguins to nest on the surface in the sand under the shelter of bushes. These sand nests increase susceptibility to heat stress and ready access to predators.

The latest counts show that they need urgent conservation intervention with a massive 25% population loss in just two years.

 

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds wants the world talking about the African penguin issue. 

Read more and find links including a Netflix series, Penguin Town, here.

 
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Have you spotted our new signs around?

Don't forget to follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with all the important and fun local penguin news!

 

www.facebook.com/bluepenguintrust/?ref=page_internal

 

 

 

And remember our website also has all the latest news, up-to-date information about the Trust, our projects and much more!

 

Stay connected....

www.westcoastpenguintrust.org.nz/

 

 

If you think there is a beach access on the West Coast that needs one of these signs, please let us know.  Email us here.

Coming soon:

 

  • Brand new Education Resource book - second edition
  • More updates on what the Trust team have been up to and we hope to introduce our new Ranger
  • And much more - local as well as some global penguin news

Follow us on Facebook and Vimeo and find out more on our website

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West Coast Penguin Trust

info@westcoastpenguintrust.org.nz  |  www.westcoastpenguintrust.org.nz

 

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