17 - Trapping Rodents on Quarantine Island - Find out what happened to the mice population on Quarantine Island in Otago Harbour when Norway rats were successfully suppressed. Learn how the stewards of this island investigated the success of their mammalian control efforts by how well the vegetation was rewilding.

Join me, Maureen Howard, as I chat to two members of the Governance and Management Group - Jim Fyfe and Claire Hagglund in the OAR FM studio.

For more information about Kamau Taurua or Quarantine Island go to https://quarantineisland.org.nz/

This episode is kindly supported by Carey's Bay Hotel.

This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

When forests are young, flammable species like manuka, kanuka and gorse dominate. To reduce the risk of fire, an effective tool is to plant a native green firebreak between our homes and our naturally rewilding forest. What’s a green firebreak? What species should we plant? How wide should the firebreak be, where should it go and how can we look after it?

Join Maureen Howard on Rewilding in Action with her guest Associate Professor Dr Tim Curran. For more information on low flammable native species go to https://www.checkitsalright.nz/reduce-your-risk/low-flammability-plan

This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

When conditions are right, gorse can be a good friend to native forest - acting as a nursery crop for natural native forest regeneration. How does it do it? What native plants come through the gorse? What happens to the gorse when it has done its job? And when might we need to plant? In this episode Maureen Howard visits Volco, a rewilding property on Mount Cargill Road just north of Dunedin City to talk with forest restoration practitioner Hendrik Koch who is a Trustee of the property.

This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

The Miyawaki approach involves densely planting a comprehensive variety of eco-sourced native forest plants into enriched soil to grow plants faster. How does it compare with standard planting or natural native forest regeneration? The Dunedin City Council keen to find out! In this episode of Rewilding in Action, Maureen Howard hosts a panel discussion organised by the DCC about the Miyawaki method. Maureen’s guests on the panel are Colin Davis from Nelson Whakatu Microforest Initiative, DCC Parks Planning Manager John Brenkley, and director of Biochar NZ Ltd Dennis Enright.

This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Tui, korimako/bellbirds and tauhou/silvereyes are much loved gardens birds. By consuming the nectar of native plants they are also important pollinators for rewilding our native forests. Is it a good idea to feed wild birds artificially? Does feeding them a solution of sugar in water help or harm them? And could bird feeders help spread the bird flu variant H5N1 when it reaches our shores?

Grab yourself a cuppa and put your feet up to listen in to Rewilding in Action with my guest Dr Daria Erastova.

This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Could this be the year the last possum on the Otago Peninsula is caught? And can we really know? In this episode of Rewilding in Action, host Maureen Howard interviews reintroduction biologist Professor Phil Seddon from Otago University, and Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group operations manager Paula Cross in the OAR studio. Listen in to find out how over 25,000 possums have been removed and why removing every last possum is the best way to help the native forest to regenerate. This episode is kindly sponsored by The OPERA (www.theopera.co.nz).

This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Rabbits wrecking havoc on native bush is a reality on the Otago Peninsula. In this episode of Rewilding in Action, host Maureen Howard visits John and Moira Parker to find out how this couple managed to knock the rabbits back, why they felt they needed to do it and what the results were on their 40 hectare forest-clad piece of peninsular paradise. This episode is kindly sponsored by The OPERA (www.theopera.co.nz).

This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

In this episode of Rewilding in Action, host Maureen Howard is back on Otago Peninsula again to meet with Paula Cross who along with her husband Brendan farm 880 ha of the predominantly steep hill country they own and lease there. Join me to find out from my guest what it’s like to combine rewilding native forest with farming, how cutting back Muehlenbeckia australis in the native forest has impacted it, and why we might want to keep some of the non-native trees and shrubs until the native forest gets established.

This episode is kindly sponsored by The OPERA (www.theopera.co.nz).

This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

SWAT (Seek Weeds and Terminate) comprise around 10 volunteers who visit properties across the Otago Peninsula to dispatch pest plants from native forest remnants. In this episode I join them on their mission to remove Banana Passion Fruit from the native forest of a QEII covenanted property. How does the SWAT Team help rewilding native forest remnants? What species do they target and why? And how do they stay so enthusiastic? Join me and my guests Fran Hammond, Moira Parker, Fiona Morrison and Adrienne Mulqueen. This episode is sponsored by The Opera (www.theopera.co.nz)

This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Should we rewild rivers - when floods can bring damage to property and sometimes loss of life? In this episode I chat with my guest river scientist Professor Gary Brierley about the importance of seeing rivers as dynamic entities within the landscape, rather than water channels to manage. We discuss how we can live well with our water catchments - from those that feed our magnificent glacier fed rivers to those that supply the streams on our properties.

This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz