Media Release May 4, 2009

Waikanae River Oxbow Project Underway

Work has started to restore a unique natural feature of the Waikanae River.

The Oxbow Restoration Project will return tidal and river flows to the old meander on the north bank opposite Otaihanga Domain.

Exotic trees and weeds will be replaced with native plants to create wetland and riparian habitats for birds and fish as part of the Waikanae River wildlife corridor.

The Friends of the Waikanae River project is funded by a $40,325 grant from the new Department of Conservation Community Conservation Fund.

“This grant and close collaboration with Kapiti Coast District Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council has enabled a great community project to ahead,” said Friends of the Waikanae River secretary Claudia Duncan.

The grant will pay for weed control and for more than 6,000 eco-sourced native plants. Kapiti Coast District Council is supporting the project by clearing sediment from the blocked meander and by removing exotic trees and weeds.

The Council has also supplied culvert pipes for installation by Greater Wellington Regional Council to restore tidal and river flows through the Oxbow.

“For many years the Friends and others have been planting natives on both sides of the River, trying to create a wildlife corridor from the sea to the mountains,” said Ms Duncan.

“Restoring the Oxbow will extend the corridor by linking our work with the efforts of the Waikanae Estuary Care Group.”

The Oxbow Restoration Project will take at least two years to complete. Thorough site preparation this year will be followed by planting in 2010 and 2011.

Ms Duncan said that once the waterway and vegetation were cleared there would need to be staged weed control to minimize long-term maintenance issues.

“Restoration does not happen overnight, but within a few years we will create a special place for the community which will encourage birds and provide breeding areas for native fish,” she said.

Kapiti Coast District Council biodiversity advisor Rob Cross said the oxbow was identified as a priority for restoration by ecologist Dr Geoff Park in ‘A Strategy for Restoring the Waikanae River Corridor’s Indigenous Ecological Values’, a report prepared in 1999 for Greater Wellington Regional Council and Te Ati Awa ki Whakarongotai.

“The oxbow is the sole remnant of a unique habitat,” said Mr Cross. “This project will ensure that the thwarted potential of a degraded area is finally realized.”

Anyone who would like to contribute to the Oxbow Restoration Project should contact Claudia Duncan on 06-364-3410.

ENDS