Enliven’s Chalmers Home residents have been helping Taranaki Regional Council to pursue its initiative of working ‘Towards a Predator-Free Taranaki’, which aims to restore the sound and movement of wildlife and rejuvenate the native plants in the region.
Earlier this year, Chalmers Home recreation officer Jonny Breedon invited council representatives to talk to the residents about the work that is being done in the region and the positive impacts it’s having on the native plants and wildlife.
Towards Predator-Free Taranaki’s Steve Ellis talked about the trapping network being built across the region.
“We were really impressed with the interest from the residents. We got a lot of great questions about local biodiversity and the different traps and control methods being used. We provided them with three rat trap kits to build and set in the green space around Chalmers Home.”
Jonny oversaw the building of the traps by a group of residents eager to put their woodwork skills to use. Then residents were off to place them carefully in ideal spots in the green space and bush across the road from the home.
The work is ongoing, with the residents checking the boxes regularly on their daily walks so they can record success and re-set the traps if needed.
“Chalmers Home residents can be proud that they are helping restore and protect native wildlife,” says Steve. “Hopefully they will soon notice lots more birds visiting the garden as a result!”
