About us
Controlling introduced pests to protect our wildlife
Our conservation and pest control work is many and varied, and continues all year.
300 hectares of rat control around the village of St Arnaud
40km of stoat trap lines in and around Nelson Lakes National Park
long term stoat bait trials
monitoring 40 possum traps
trapping of feral cats using live capture cages with remote monitoring equipment
conducting wasp bait trials
seasonal wasp control
monitoring of lizard populations
monitoring of robin populations
monitoring kaka populations
building and maintaining the hundreds of stoat and rat trap boxes required
Te Whakarauore Whio Project - in conjunction with DOC, Ngati Apa ki te Ra To and Rata Foundation. Click here to learn about this ambitious project.
Roster co-ordinators look after the rat trapping and various stoat trapping lines, with regular bait changes and trap checks occurring during the year. Volunteers can choose how much or how little they are involved, from almost weekly to a few times a year.
FOR operates as a Charitable Trust. Elected trustees include Wayne Sowman, Pip Berkett, Drew Hunter, David Price and Barry Thomas.
“Our volunteers are local residents or members who travel from Nelson or Blenheim (one hour drive each way) to monitor trap lines, attend training meetings and carry out trap box maintenance and/or construction. Many of our original members are still very active in the group. If you are interested in helping in the war against introduced pests, we would love to hear from you.”