August 2007
Nature's curse or nature's gift? It's all the way you look at it
I'm talking about those wet and hard to drain parts of most farms or life style blocks, the bits where the
water ponds during our wet winters, which will cost a lot to drain. Why not think outside the traditional
"farms are about growing grass" stereotype and consider a different land use option for these areas? One which
will give you a lot of pleasure and make the day to day grind of running your farm more interesting.
Use these wet areas to create a wetland
There are few activities in life on the land, whether it be a farm or smaller lifestyle block, where we receive
financial help to enjoy ourselves! Creating wetlands is one of these. There are three organisations which have
funds available to help. The Game Bird Habitat Trust, administered by Fish and Game, Horizons Regional Council,
which can help with the fencing, and Ducks Unlimited N.Z. (DU) which is the organisation I chose to help fund
the pictured wetland. All it takes is a phone call.
Why create a wetland?
New Zealand has drained or destroyed 90% of her original wetlands. They are nature's sponges, soaking up pollutants and filtering water before it reaches rivers and streams. Water quality is a very topical issue right now, and creating wetlands is one way to improve our environmental footprint. Another is to create habitat for wetland birds. Not just ducks, but the other species as well. One of the reasons for digging this new wetland on our property was because of the wide range of water birds who enjoy the present dam. Ducks: Mallard, Paradise, Grey Teal, and Shoveler. Waders: Pied Stilt, Banded Dotterel, with a Royal Spoonbill as a recent visitor. Observing all these birds enjoying life always gives me pleasure and provides a good incentive to visit the paddock more often. A good thing when it is "out the back".
Funding
As I said earlier, I have received financial help from DU. This is an organisation modelled on the highly
successful American and Canadian ones. We raise money from auctions and sporting clay shoots and all of it goes
into wetland development, the preservation of the threatened Pateke (Brown Teal) and Whio (Blue Duck). The only
must for receiving money is membership. How you look after what you create is entirely your affair.
Steps to take
- If you do decide to create a wetland, seek advice. There are many people in DU who have built hundreds of dams. Their advice is free so why not use it?
- Do a detailed budget. This should include the cost of fencing, the trees, and any other cost you may incur. The Farm Forestry Association can give you advice on what to plant.