Since 1997 dedicated volunteers have worked to restore the native ecology of Otamahua or Quail Island. The Trust has eradicated most pest (except for mice and two recently sighted rogue rabbits) from the island and planted more than 75,000 plants as part of a planned 20-year eco-restoration project in partnership with the Department of Conservation and Ngati Wheke of Rapaki.
The Trust employs two part-time island staff and a part-time administrator. Our island workers operate machinery and carry out weed control and pest management tasks that, for health and safety reasons, are not suitable for our volunteers.
Volunteer groups contribute more than 5,600 hours annually, weeding, planting and monitoring mice traps. As the plantings mature, the island is slowly being transformed. Native bird numbers have increased as trees mature and provide more nesting sites and a more varied food source.
The Trust needs to raise $100,000 annually for its on-going replanting and pest eradication programmes.
