Liz February 26th, 2017
Tuna – Waititiko Nov 2009
As the water table throughout the Meola catchment drops due to increased hard surfaces like concrete and buildings, the flow and depth of Waititiko (Meola Creek) reduces and wildlife is threatened.
Good news: STEPS and AC people were thrilled to see a sizable tuna (eel) on 22 February at the corner by SLG Apartments and St Lukes Megacentre. This eel was following a rat who may have been attracted by bread often dropped at both Kerr-Taylor bridge and this corner of Roy Clements Treeway.
Sadly this week on Monday 20th Feb we found a dead 80 cm eel under the bridge in the Kerr Taylor reserve – see the picture below. This was reported to AC Pollution Control (incident I2017-945) and was removed. Today there are 2 dead ducks in the same location which we have also reported. Others reported more ducks in February, and our information is that this has been an especially bad problem this year across the Auckland isthmus.
Tuna are sensitive to low dissolved oxygen levels and ducks can succumb to botulism. It is also known that enrichment of streams with phosphorous from farm pasture runoff causes fish death (see Phosphorous in water). The latest water measurements done by STEPS showed very low dissolved oxygen and high levels of phosphorus in the creek. Eels and fish need oxygen in the water, and reported sightings of eels in Meola creek have reduced in recent years.
Actions we can take include:
- Streamside planting shades the water and makes it cooler and better for wildlife. You can help STEPS plant and maintain our wetland and creek banks by contacting us on this site
- Don’t feed bread to ducks – you may be feeding rats or helping botulism disease to spread among the ducks (see Ducks & botulism in Auckland and Duck feed)
- Immediately report sick or dead wildlife in streams to Auckland Council 09 377 3107
- Use water sensitive design practices and materials around your house, instead of concreting which increases flooding and reduces the area through which water can filter through to the underground Meola aquifer
- Please reply or leave a comment to this post with your thoughts
Dead eel February 2017
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Liz September 10th, 2016
The attached species list was compiled in 2016 by Sel Arbuckle and Liz Walker. Nick Goldwater has now added a few more wetland species. STEPS thanks Sel and Nick.
If you have additional information please contact us via our web site.
PLANTS Meola 2016 BW Nov
Info was also added from:
Esler, AE. Changes in the native plant cover of urban Auckland, New Zealand, NZ Journal of Botany, 1991, Vol 29, 177-196
Key to Community:
C coastal under influence of salt water
W wetland freshwater, open country
S scrub woody, devping thru manuka/ kanuka
F forest tall, little or no manuka/ kanuka
O open dry to moist open places
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Tags: Meola Creek, plants, Roy Clements Treeway
stephen November 25th, 2012
In 2012 STEPS and volunteers held four main planting events around the Roy Clements Treeway and Kerr Taylor Park areas adjacent to Mt Albert Grammar School.
On our first 2012 community planting day on June 24 almost 600 plants were put in the ground in lava rock forest areas and beside the stream [ see attached list]
- 178 plants went as infill into the floodplain area bordering the lava flow or volcanic rock forest from the green seat in the main big area right through to the back of the Morphum area in Wagener Place on the Morningstar Apartment side.
- About 400 plants went up on the hill closer to Alberton Ave to extend the rock forest margins.
- 2 large mamaku donated by Friends of Oakley Creek were planted in the large floodplain area
Shortly after, Sel Arbuckle and Melissa Marler planted some translocated rock forest species such as titoki, mahoe and kawakawa into the rocky gully directly east of the bridge at the Alberton Ave entrance.
On Sunday 12 August 350 plants [listed in the attached invoice] were planted in the STEPS wetland, which is possibly the last major planting required for the wetland. Finally, Morphum Environmental carried out some infill planting near the exit to the St Lukes Mega Centre in Wagener Place.
Our thanks to all who contributed to the plantings, especially:
- 25 volunteers including St Peter’s College students and some students from the MAGS boarding house.
- Wendy John and Friends of Oakley Creek for plants and support.
- David Bowden, Auckland Council for providing plants and supporting us on June 24 with spades and wheelbarrows etc.
- Morphum Environmental for donating plants and taking care of their area.
- Mt Albert Grammar school who own the land.
- Remnant Restoration for their efforts in helping to organise the Community Planting day and also for their help with weed control.
- Nick Goldwater for his leadership and inspiration in creating the STEPS wetland.
In addition there is the work which is undertaken all year long by a small band of people without whom these disturbed natural areas would revert to moth plant, morning glory and woolly nightshade.
- Special thanks to Melissa Marler and Sel Arbuckle for their planting and more importantly their consistent removal of weeds. Without them the floodplain would be covered in kikuyu, and tradescantia would have overtaken the shady areas.
- Auckland Council graffiti removal team, and the local person who fixed the information signs when their frames were stolen.
- CVNZ and Wildlands for dealing with some of the weeds
- Albert Eden Local Board for a small grant to fund some specialist weeding
- Last but not least Karen Mann and the Buchanan Rehabilitation Centre team who have also contributed in terms of some weeding, planting and potting up and caring for native seedlings. The latter are also supplying a helper 5 days a week for the next 6 months at Meola Creek….so they have had a steady and helpful involvement in this project over the years.
- Stephen Buckland for posting our blogs to let people know about events
Finally we want to acknowledge the great moral support, appreciation, and encouragement many local people have provided Sel and Melissa when they pass by on a Friday along the boardwalk. We also appreciate the replanting many locals have quietly done of their own volition when plants have been uprooted by vandals.
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