an unforgettable Summer Program in Aotearoa New Zealand
In 2006, EcoQuest was invited to contribute to ecological restoration efforts on Motuihe. We have now incorporated this island into the summer program. Motuihe is a relatively recent addition to ecological restoration of offshore islands in New Zealand, and its potential conservation value is extremely high. This opportunity complements the existing options we have offered over the past 7 years on Tiritiri Matangi Island, and Ponui Island. We are now pleased to offer our students the opportunity to experience a full spectrum of restoration opportunities on offshore islands in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand's largest marine embayment.
Our five-week summer program provides students an unequalled opportunity to gain academic credits while working toward sustainable solutions for the management of natural resources. Together, we will learn while making real contributions to conservation efforts on New Zealand's offshore islands, and be involved in one of the most high-profile mainland restoration projects in New Zealand.
Due to our long-standing and successful involvement with a number of partners, including the Department of Conservation, Auckland Regional Council, and the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust, the EcoQuest Education Foundation is offering motivated students an exciting opportunity to be fully immersed in the realities of ecological restoration this summer.
In addition, the Maungatautari Ecological Island on the mainland has progressed to a stage where changes in response to efforts to eradicate introduced mammalian pests and predators will become apparent in the next 12 to 18 months.
All learning opportunities offered by EcoQuest are woven into a curriculum framework which addresses ecology and biogeography as well as environmental policy pertaining to the real-life case studies. Our five weeks are filled with living and learning, as well as work and play, with a great team of experienced field staff, ecologists, and faculty.
Many of the issues facing New Zealand are not dissimilar to those in the United States. Our coursework is designed with this in mind and you will develop excellent field skills that you can apply back home. Learning activities will center around several core topics, including plant and animal pest management, native revegetation and habitat enhancement, endangered species translocations, ecological monitoring of native flora and fauna, and the role of the wider community in restoration initiatives. Political frameworks for resource management in New Zealand and policy pathways are an integrated part of the curriculum.
Ponui Island
Ponui Island is the eastern-most of the Inner Hauraki Gulf Islands and is privately owned. The island has been farmed for more than a century. Despite clearance for farm development in the early 1900's, a large tract of broadleaf/kauri forest remains, covering approximately 250 ha of the southern half of the island. Following successful establishment of North Island brown kiwi in the 1960's, Ponui now supports the most dense population of this species of kiwi in the country. You will learn about kiwi call surveys and the ecology of kiwi. We will explore in-depth the role that private landowners can play in maintaining biodiversity, the provisions for supporting landowners to do this successfully, and the resource management issues that may help or hinder in this process. Research on several aspects of ecology of kiwi is carried out by Massey University students, under supervision of Dr. Isabel Castro, one of the EcoQuest research associates. We are planning to be on the island at the same time as Dr. Castro and her students.
Tiritiri Matangi Island
'Tiritiri' is considered one of the most successful ecological restoration projects in the world. Originally farmed for much of the first 150 years of European settlement in New Zealand, little native vegetation remained on Tiri when restoration efforts began. The Department of Conservation, together with many volunteers from the wider Auckland community, have eradicated all introduced mammalian pests, planted the island with native species, and reintroduced native wildlife. Following 25 years of restoration efforts, the island provides a safe haven to 12 threatened species and serves as one of the best examples of what New Zealand was like before the introduction of mammalian predators and competitors. The suite of species present on Tiri includes the takahe, one of the flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. EcoQuest students will get first hand experience and training in some of the restoration activities that take place on the island, and will conduct ecological monitoring to determine how native bird abundance differs between Tiritiri, and Motuihe Island (which is in the early stages of restoration).
Motuihe
Motuihe Island is a relatively recent addition to ecological restoration of offshore islands, and its potential conservation value is extremely high. This is due, not in the least, to the fact that significant remnants of native coastal forest are still present on the island. In addition, the island contains a variety of small streams and freshwater wetlands, pristine sandy beaches, fertile soil, and several threatened species. Many more native species translocations are anticipated and a translocation strategy is currently being developed. Moreover, the island is only 15 minutes from downtown Auckland with excellent visitor facilities, and fantastic views of the Hauraki Gulf. On Motuihe Island, students will participate in a recently developed long-term ecological monitoring program designed to assess the response of native plants and animals to the restoration process: eradication of mammalian pests, weed management, native revegetation, and translocation of endangered species - the first species to be reintroduced is the saddleback.
Maungatautari Ecological Island
Maungatautari is the most ambitious ecological restoration project ever attempted on the New Zealand mainland. It is regarded by many as one of the most significant restoration projects in the world. The project includes the establishment of a 50km predator proof fence around 8,000 acres of mature native forest, the eradication of all mammalian pests inside the fence, and the reintroduction of native species, some of which (e.g., kiwi) have only recently disappeared from the forest. You will learn about the ecological opportunities associated with eradication of mammalian predators and pests on the mainland, and the opportunities for community groups and private landowners to collaborate with conservation scientists in achieving a remarkable feat: predator-free native forest habitat on the New Zealand mainland! Once this achieved, Maungatautari will provide a habitat not encountered on the New Zealand mainland since before Polynesian settlement began, about 1200-1000 years ago. The fence was completed in August 2006, and eradication of mammalian predators was begun in October 2006. EcoQuest students have been involved with the Maungatautari project from the start in 2001.
Why stay at home for the summer?
Come join us for the best five weeks
of your life!
