For those on my email list, you would have received a survey asking about interest and dates for a day of workshops. There was strong interest, so I’m pleased to confirm that the workshop is now going ahead!
Date: Saturday 20 June
Time: 9.00am – 3.30pm
Venue: Living Springs
Cost: Free (includes lunch!)
For those who have already sent indicative numbers, there’s no need to reply again. I’ll be in touch closer to the time to confirm attendance numbers and the venue.
The day will focus on practical skills, and I’m also very pleased to confirm that Alastair Henshaw from Predator Free Wellington will open the day with an overview of their project. Alastair leads the PFW Community Outreach team, working with residents and volunteers to secure permissions and help build the trapping network. I spent a day with Alastair and the PFW team late last year, and it was fascinating to better understand how their project operates and has evolved over time as they’ve learned and adapted.
PROGRAMME
INTRODUCTION
8.30 – 9.00 – Arrival, tea and coffee, meet and greet
9.00–10.00 — Alastair Henshaw
An overview of the Predator Free Wellington project and how they work with residents and volunteers.
PRACTICAL SESSIONS
We’ll be running these sessions “round robin” style, three before lunch, three after.
Optimal Trap Placement: Where and Why?
Trap placement is one of the most important decisions you can make. You may know the “3 Rs” — roads, rivers, and ridges — but it’s even more nuanced than that. Trap visibility is critical, and even which side of a tree you choose can make a difference.
The Ultimate Set (Tree and Ground Mounted)
Even in the best locations, the quality of your “trap set” has a huge influence on success. If you walk past the trap, check the bait, and move on, that’s a “check” — not a “set”. Spending two to three minutes creating a quality set can be the difference between catching a pest or finding an empty trap next time.
DOC200 Maintenance and Calibration
All traps need maintenance, and DOC200s are some of the hardest-working and least-maintained traps out there. And calibration — should it be 100 grams? 80? More? Less? We’ll cover how to accurately calibrate traps, why it matters, and what works best in practice.
12.15–1.15 — Lunch and Networking
Best Practice for Trap Cameras
Tim Sjoberg, PFBP
Cameras are one of the easiest and most effective ways to monitor what’s happening in your patch — but there’s definitely a best-practice approach. Tim has been part of a national working group developing camera standards and will share what they’ve learned.
Outcome Monitoring for Community Groups
(Invertebrate Monitoring & Merlin Bird Counts)
Dr Bex Dollery, Biodiversity Team Leader, Waimakariri District Council
It’s all very well to catch pests, but is all that mahi actually making a difference? Dr Bex Dollery will walk us through a couple of relatively simple ways to measure whether our efforts are improving biodiversity outcomes.
Running a Trapline Health Check (Audit)
Lawrence Smith, Towards Pest Free Waitaha
This session brings together many of the workshop themes into a practical tool you can take back to your own project. Looking at aspects such as trap location, set quality, trap condition, and maintenance can often identify simple improvements that significantly lift trapping outcomes — and turn trapline checks from a chore into a champion.
3.30 — Wrap-up
I’m really excited about this workshop, and it’s been great to see so much interest. If you haven’t already responded with interest and numbers, please send me an email and I’ll reserve your spot(s).
