Mackenzie locals beat wildings and the weather

On a changeable Friday in November 2023, 22 year-nine students from Mackenzie College in Fairlie ventured out of the classroom and into the rain for a day on the tools, clearing wilding pines at Lake Tekapo Scientific Reserve.

The reserve lies to the South of the Tekapo township and is an important site for research into the ecological restoration of tussock drylands by the Department of Conservation. Prior to 1987, when the reserve was acquired by the Department, the land had been burnt and grazed for more than a century. It is now protected from pest browsing by sheep and rabbits and is home to several regenerating native grass, tussock, scrub, invertebrate and bird species.

The low stature of the native vegetation onsite also allows its geological history and beauty to be appreciated, with a terminal moraine at the Northern end giving way to an extensive fluvioglacial outwash surface towards the South.

If wilding pines were allowed to spread at this site the native biodiversity would likely be lost within a decade and its geological beauty would then be hidden, so it was a pleasure to have the support of Mackenzie College to help protect it from this ongoing threat.

The following day, 30 enthusiastic community members joined us on the other side of the Mackenzie Basin in the scorching sun at Ben Dhu Scientific Reserve to help cut down young wilding pines there.

Ben Dhu provides one of the best examples of intact remnant bog pine (Halocarpus bidwillii) in the region.

Bog pine is one of New Zealand's endemic native conifers. It is low in stature and very slow growing, making it incredibly vulnerable to wilding pine infestation. At this site the islands of bog pine provide refuges for other native scrub and small tree species to establish including mountain toatoa, coral broom, mountain cottonwood, pimelia, coprosmas, matagouri and more.

The Ben Dhu site is like a candy store for botanists

It provides a rare glimpse into what much of the basin floor would have looked like prior to the arrival of humans and subsequent burning and farming of the landscape. Defending it from wilding pine infestation is a crucial part of protecting the natural heritage of the Mackenzie Basin.

As always with Wilding Free Mackenzie volunteer days, a BBQ lunch was enjoyed by everyone - this time even more delicious than usual with home baking and ice blocks shared by some generous volunteers, as well as Simply Red ketchup and Old Yella mustard from our good friend and iconic kiwi chef Al Brown.

To know more about protecting the Mackenzie Basin from wilding pines, and how you can get involved: Visit the Wilding Free Mackenzie website https://www.mackenziewildingtrust.org/ and follow them on Facebook and Instagram