FoPP Monthly Newsletter -Sept 2024

Events Programme - October 2024

1st October- Wanderers’ walk.

Note: Meeting Not at the Park!

Meet at 10, Ludlow Place Bell Block at 10.30am

We are visiting FOPP member Alan Inch’s amazing garden. The number and variety of clivias he has is astounding. Tony Barnes will be leading the walk around Alan's garden.

The garden’s name “Pai Rawa Atu’ – aptly means ‘the perfect place ’. His garden is a micro-climate planted with 300 camellias and a vast range of clivias in yellow and orange hues, some even being grown as an epiphyte in the branches of a tree!

A real opportunity to see “the perfect place”

15th October- Wanderers’ walk.

Meet at the Bellringer Pavilion at 10:30

Tony Barnes is a well-known horticulturist and gardener with his own garden being Ngamamaku on Ahu Ahu Road. A well-known camellia expert, Tony will have many fascinating insights to share with us – not to be missed!

17th October - Committee meeting

20th October - Plant Sale.

Location - Pukekura Park Band Rotunda.

Sale starts at 10.30am

Plant Drop Off/Collection

If possible, please label your plants with their common name or botanical name and the colour of any flowers.

Plants to be dropped off to the Band Rotunda after 8.00am and prior to 10.30am.

Please pass the word around to friends, family, work colleagues and anyone you know that is either a keen gardener or a novice looking to buy plants. This is a fun morning and a good way to promote Friends of Pukekura Park.

Thank you and we are looking forward to seeing the items you have propagated to help with a successful day.

24th October - Evening Meeting

Citizens Advice Bureau, next to the Y.M.C.A. - 7pm.

Speaker - Lisa Berndt, Taranaki Regional Coordinator for Wai Connection.

Lisa will talk about the projects aims, and aspects of the project which involve communities.

To learn a little bit about Wai Connection go to https://www.waiconnection.nz/

Pink Rock Orchid - Dendrobium kingianum

In flower on elm tree by the Tea House

Review of August's Events

3rd September- Wanderers’ walk

Lead - Josh Paice

What a fascinating walk we had last week with Josh Paice – NPDC arborist.

With a storm threatening, a brave 12 of us ventured into the world of looking at trees from a different perspective.

Josh carries out regular checks on the health of the tress in the Park, discussing their management with Sheryl the curator. If a tree is showing signs of serious disease, and/or where it may be in threat of falling, Josh’s findings are peer reviewed by another arborist so an objective decision can be made.

Signs of disease may include fungi growing on the tree, bark damage and bark regrowth, sparse branch. The main tool he demonstrated was a prod – using to probe root systems, trunks to gauge degrees of rot or other damage.

Thanks goodness for the band rotunda – a dash to shelter there at the end of our walk as the rain bucketed down.

Thanks so much Josh.

Member's Lunch , September 11, 2024

This was held early September on a perfect Spring day. It was so good to see everyone mingling informally – with Bryan Vickery and Max Brough, Councillors also present.

The Tea House had a beautiful table set –the food was delicious, and the service great.

Thanks you everyone - Sue

Evening Meeting, August 22, 2024

14 members and guests went frog hunting with Nathan Hills last Thursday evening.

It was the perfect night, cloudless and moonlit, quiet and the park had a totally different aspect to it. Not another soul to be found.

NZ has 4 native varieties of frog. The frogs we are most familiar with were introduced from Australia, the Brown Tree, Southern Bell & Green & Golden Bell.

We managed to find 2 Brown tree frogs, (little fellows), a weta, and an eel!

A very fun night, with a buggy ride included for some.

A delish supper - thanks Julie, was shared by all around the board table @ the Enviro Hub and made for a very social evening.

From the Zoo

Brooklands Zoo Contributes to Global Knowledge of Species

Did you know that Brooklands Zoo plays a pivotal role in creating the world’s largest and most comprehensive knowledge base on more than 22,000 species?

As a member of global non-profit Species360, Brooklands Zoo contributes data on the animals and groups in its care every day, from lifecycle traits to environmental needs.

That information is recorded in the Species360 Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), now 50 years old and the world's largest source of data on species. To date, Brooklands Zoo has contributed data on more than 550 animals and 88 species, subspecies, and breeds to Species360 ZIMS. ZIMS combines the data from Brooklands Zoo with contributions from like-minded species conservation institutions worldwide. The result changes what is known about animals and their environments, including insight into disease treatment, animal welfare, population health, and species conservation.

“We are proud to be a part of this international effort and its positive effect on animal welfare and wildlife conservation,” said Brooklands Zoo’s Lead Eve Cozzi. “As part of our commitment to conservation and animal welfare, we carefully record data on our animal collections. This ensures our animals receive the best care and contributes to species population management and conservation. By continuing to share our knowledge and expertise, we can make even greater strides in protecting the planet’s biodiversity,"

Brooklands Zoo, like other zoos, aquariums and wildlife facilities worldwide, uses ZIMS to stay well-informed about each animal and group. For instance, Species360 Global Medical Resources, part of the ZIMS for Medical module, help veterinarians treat and prevent diseases by providing benchmarks for normal blood test results. And ZIMS for Studbooks is utilised by conservation teams worldwide to ensure the genetic diversity and health of animal populations in human care. This is critical for reintroduction programmes, where conservation institutions work to re-establish native species in their natural habitats, ensuring these populations are healthy and sustainable.

Brooklands Zoo is a welfare-accredited member of the Zoo & Aquarium Association (ZAA) and we contribute to some of the ZAA-managed breeding programmes such as tufted capuchins, and provide advocacy for species such as small-clawed otters and the critically endangered cotton-top tamarins. There are estimated to be only 7,000 cotton-top tamarins left in the wild in Colombia, with their main threats being habitat loss and the pet trade.

To learn more about Species 360 and ZIMS go to https://species360.org/category/zims/

Teo the Cotton-top Tamarin

Brooklands Zoo & Wildlife Rehabilitation Patient

Brooklands Zoo has a Department of Conservation (DOC) permit to assist with rehabilitating injured or orphaned native birds and reptiles brought in directly from either DOC or vets at the New Plymouth Vet Group. The permit is only for native reptiles and birds such as kererū, tūī and ruru/morepork, and is for non-display purposes to allow the injured birds time to recover out of the public eye prior to being released back to their natural habitat. This kererū was received to us on September 10th and was found on the roadside in a very weak condition. His/her recovery progress is going well so far – flight is getting stronger and diet uptake is much better. Brooklands Zoo staff are hopeful the recovery progress will lead to a successful outcome and this little kererū will be back in his/her natural habitat in the near future.

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori week at Brooklands Zoo

Brooklands Zoo has been celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori week – feedback from visitors was they loved seeing the animal themed Te Reo signage which was on display from Sept 14th to 22nd