River revelations on Valentine's Day

The Waiwhakaiho River will yield some secrets on Valentine's Day - but of the scientific rather then the romantic variety.

A free public workshop at Tupare, on Mangorei Road in New Plymouth, will focus on the tiny insects, crustaceans, worms and snails that inhabit the river, and how they can reveal much about the health of the whole waterway.
The hands-on ecology session will be led by Taranaki Regional Council staff who will explain and demonstrate well-established techniques for assessing the quality of river water by studying the type and number of invertebrates living in it.

"Participants can expect to get their feet wet but their brains stimulated," says the Council's Regional Gardens Manager, Greg Rine. "As well as food for thought, there'll be sustenance for the body, as the morning workshop will be followed by a barbecue lunch.

"We ran a similar workshop last summer which attracted a big group ranging from kids to grandparents. Everyone enjoyed it."

Participants will need suitable footwear for the event, which takes place on the Tupare river flat on 14 February starting at 10am sharp, with a barbecue to follow at noon.

Tupare is a premier heritage property that features a house designed by James Chapman-Taylor and stunningly landscaped grounds developed by Sir Russell Matthews.

The river ecology workshop is part of a year-long schedule of public events at Tupare and at Hollard Gardens, Kaponga, another heritage property owned and managed by the Taranaki Regional Council on behalf of the people of the region.
For more information, see www.tupare.info and www.hollardgardens.info.

ENDS

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