BAYERBoost 2007

Bayer Awards Scholarships to Environmentalists of Tomorrow

The BAYERBoost Environmental Scholarship winners for 2007 include:

Katherine Hill of Mackenzie College, Fairlie who will be studying the Canterbury Knobbled weevil, Hadramphus tuberculatus. Until recently discovered in Burkes Pass, the Canterbury Knobbled weevil, was thought to be extinct. It has a conservation status of the highest order and is considered to be the rarest New Zealand invertebrate. Katherine’s scholarship study will provide valuable assistance in finding and managing other isolated populations. It will also give local landowners and general public a feeling of ownership of this rare species and may lead to assisting the management of the weevil through protection of its host plant (Aciphylia), more commonly know as Speargrass.

Bridgette Moffat of Sacred Heart Girl’s College, Hamilton who will be monitoring blue ducks (Whio), North Island Brown kiwis and the impact of deer on Kamahi regeneration in the Kaimanawa Ranges. The Central Plateau has a rich history and culture dating back several hundred years. It is also an area of vast bio-diversity and is therefore a key location for conservation in New Zealand. Working with host organisation, the Department of Conservation, Ruapehu, Bridgette will be involved in monitoring vegetation (specifically mistletoe), monitoring blue ducks and kiwi-tagging in Tongariro National Park. In addition, she will be surveying the impact of deer on Kamahi regeneration.

Natalie Scott of Chilton St James School, Wellington who will research the ecology of epiphytic lichens in Craigieburn Forest Park, just north of Lake Coleridge in the ranges west of the Canterbury Plains. Lichens are formed from a fungus and a green alga, and although they are found in most ecosystems in New Zealand from sea level up to over 2000 metres, most species of lichen are highly-specialised in the types of environment they inhabit. In her scholarship entry report, Natalie identified that the current understanding of the role that lichens play in New Zealand forest ecosystems is very limited and an increase in knowledge in this area would have the potential to assist New Zealand scientists in monitoring the health of our environment.Working with host organisation, Lincoln University, Natalie will be involved in the collection and storage of lichen specimens, sampling epiphytic lichen communities on tree trunks, sampling habitat characteristics and recoding ecological data from the Craigieburn Forest Park.

Hester Neate, studying at the University of Auckland, who will study the breeding success of New Zealand dotterel in a mammalian-predator-free environment and their interaction with variable oyster catcher. Breeding success is a key factor in the healthy growth of dotterel populations; however it is currently low at unmanaged sites. Motuihe Island in the Hauraki Gulf is considered the third most important breeding ground in the Auckland region, but at present, the population is unprotected. Working alongside the Motuihe Trust in the Hauraki Gulf, Hester will catch and band as many New Zealand dotterel as possible, identify breeding pairs of dotterel and variable oyster catchers, map out the location of nests, and monitor the number of chicks or eggs.

Shane Baylis, studying at the University of Auckland, who will be conducting research into the mesopredator release in Tawharanui. For 12 weeks during the upcoming summer break, Shane will study nest predation pressure at Tawharanui Open Sanctuary – an enclave which is protected by a predator-proof fence. All introduced mammalian predators except mice have been eradicated in the sanctuary and some rare native species have been introduced. Working with host organisation, the University of Auckland, Shane will research and gather data in three locations: inside the predator-proof fence at Tawharanui; outside the predator-proof fence at Tawharanui; as well as at the Art in the Park in Waitakere.

Victor Kang of Burnside High School The Banks Peninsula weta Hemideina ricta is one of the rarest tree weta species in the world and is currently restricted to small areas of the outer edge of Banks Peninsula, Canterbury. The habitat of this particular weta overlaps the known range of another tree weta species, H. femorata. These creatures are believed to be sharing the same shelters in these regions and have begun to interbreed and a produce a hybrid species. The presence of this hyrbrid zone has important consequences for the survival of the endangered H. ricta and is the focus of Victor’s research. Victor will be collecting species; categorizing the specimens using morphological and genetic analysis; conducting the behavioural experiments and completing a formal write-up with the help of his supervisor Dr Roddy Hale from Lincoln University.