General information about the group:(For latest information posts please see below)
The
Churton Park Revegetation Group is sponsored by the Churton Park
Community Association, and supported by both Wellington City Council and
Greater Wellington Regional Council.
Current areas of activity and description are as follows: 1 Wingfield Reserve
The group members are undertaking the ecological restoration of a high profile area of Churton Park. Wingfield
Reserve runs parallel to Middleton Road north from Wingfield Place for
about 400 metres, and is very visible from Middleton Road, which is a
main access route. The reserve contains one of the upper tributaries of the Porirua Stream. The
site has been the focus of the group’s efforts since 2004. Before work
started the reserve and stream were not visible as they were hidden
beneath a thick canopy of willow trees and choked with blackberry.The
reserve has been radically transformed from a weedy, overgrown and
inaccessible eyesore to a healthy, accessible bush fringed waterway for
people to enjoy. At the Wingfield Reserve site the group has: - Established a good access route through the length of the site
- Removed blackberry, pest plants, and problem trees such as willows, hawthorn, and macrocarpa;
- Planted over 12000 native plants, from small streamside rushes, to kahikatea;
- Involved the community, business groups and service clubs; and
- Improved the habitat of the stream for native fish.
Future work:
- The
main planting at this site is now complete, but will require ongoing
attention to keep pest plants under control, as well as trimming any
over vigorous plants to give slower growing plants some light.
- Some climax species will be interplanted.
- Additional planting into the site from the Wingfield Place side.
Plants becoming established at the south end
of the site adjacent to Wingfield Place Feb 2011
Excellent growth after 2 years February 2010 Same area July 2014 
Planters on Saturday 7 August 2010
Same area July 2014 2 Stebbings Dam Right Bank
This is a new area
commenced in 2014. The area adjacent to the top of the spillway was
planted out when the dam was built. However many of the plants did not
survive. This small project was to tidy up the area to bring it back to
comply with the original landscape plan. The group was supported by
the Wellington Regional Council for this project. Planting was carried
out on Arbor Day June 2014 assisted by a group of children from Churton
Park School.Stebbings Dam top of spillway July 2014
3 Lakewood Reserve at south end
Wellington
City Council have been putting a lot of effort into tidying Lakewood
reserve over recent years. Many of the large trees were felled, along
with extensive areas of replanting. The group is working with WCC on this
project. The plan is to get 500 plants into the ground in 2014 to
extend the existing plantings. There are two main areas. The first is
to plant around the edges of the currently grassed areas in the south
west corner, near to the bridge. The remaining area of grass will then be more easily mown. The second
area is to plant among the large number of flax plants that are
dying due to a virus. In this area, because some of the existing shrubs
are well established, some climax tree species will be used.
Planting area adjacent to end of bridge July 2014
Planting area among existing trees and shrubs July 2014
How you can help.
Working bees held throughout the
year. During the planting season (May to September), there are regular
planting days (usually once a month) which anyone can attend. New
members are always welcome, as is the assistance of corporate groups
(such as businesses, government departments, or community groups) that
want to give a half or full day back to the community, and have a great
experience at the same time. You can contact the group as detailed below to volunteer or find out when work is next planned. Contact information The group is led by John Morrison, ph: 477 1020
Email revegetation@churtonpark.org.nz
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posted 13 Jul 2014 01:27 by Ron Secretary
The
Churton
Park re-vegetation group is now working with
WCC to help with the ongoing planting in this area. Planting and
mulching afternoons at Lakewood Reserve are scheduled for Saturdays 26
July and 9 August, commencing at 1pm.
Come along
and lend a hand! No experience required - only enthusiasm.
Meet at the
Tennis Court carpark, off
Lakewood Ave. Tools and gloves are available, but bring your own if possible.
For further information please contact
John Morrison 477 1020 or
revegetation@churtonpark.org.nz
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posted 12 Jul 2014 20:32 by Ron Secretary
The planting days scheduled for this year are as follows:
Thursday 5 June at 10am. Stebbings Dam at top of spillway on south side.
Plants
supplied by GWRC. This planting area is to tidy up the landscaping
carried out when the dam was built, as not many plants had survived.
As
planting at Wingfield Reserve is nearing completion, WCC have invited
us to move to another area to assist them in their activities.
Saturday 26 July at 1pm Lakewood Reserve south end, near to tennis courts.
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posted 1 Aug 2013 20:04 by Ron Secretary
With three planting days, the volunteers have now planted 590 trees and shrubs. These are made up of 540 supplied by WCC with the balance being split up flax and toetoe plants. This now completes planting for this season. The areas worked on were the flat area at the north end by the Office Max fence, and along the edge of the Farm Track in the middle of the site. Now some gentle rain is required to get them well settled in.
Unfortunately we had some vandalism in the newly planted area at the north end, when about 25 plants were pulled out and thrown over the fence. The plants were soon back in their former places, but some have been lost. The Johnsonville Police have been advised. If any other vandalism is noticed, please phone the Revegetation Group Coordinator, John Morrison, on 477 1020.
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posted 29 Apr 2013 01:50 by Ron Secretary
Tjis year a total of 500 plants have been allocated to our group.
The first planting day will be held on Saturday 29 June, starting at 1pm.
Subsequent planting days are planned for Saturday 20 July and Saturday 10 August.
For more information please contact John Morrison, ph 477 1020 |
posted 15 Aug 2012 01:11 by Ron Secretary
[
updated 15 Aug 2012 01:35
]
This
season 1000 more plants have been added to the total, which brings the total to date for the project to over 9000. The picture attached below shows part of the newly planted area on part of the
very steep slope in the middle of the site.
;) Thanks
is due to all our volunteers who have helped with this very rewarding
project.
Mention
must also be made of the two work groups who came from Contact
Energy, and carried out a lot of site preparation and planting.
The
site is now nearly full, but the clearance of more pest trees will
open up other areas to be planted.
The
main task now will be to keep grass and weeds, which grow very
thickly on this site, away from the plants until they are
established.
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posted 4 Apr 2012 15:25 by Ron Secretary
[
updated 4 Apr 2012 15:27
]
The plantings from winter 2011 have all done very well. The regular rain over the summer provided good growing conditions, with survival rates probably over 90% which is great considering the steep slopes planted.
During February the main track through the site was gravelled by workers from Dept of Corrections. The track is now suitable for walking in all weathers which will increase its use.
The attached image shows the path as well as the good growth of toetoe, flax and other plants.
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posted 4 Apr 2012 15:04 by Ron Secretary
[
updated 8 Aug 2012 01:04
]
The final 2012 main planting afternoon will be from 1pm
on Saturday 11 August.
A great start on this years planting has been make. On Saturday 29 June we put 300 plants in the ground in the higher areas of the site.
This was followed by some fine work by a group from Contact Energy on Friday 6 July. They cleared, planted and mulched the flat area below Middleton Road, as well as clearing part of the escarpment slope and planting the top and bottom of it. They planted an additional 200 plants. A photo of the workers is attached below.
We have been allocated 1000 plants by WCC for 2012, so we are now half way through the task.
Another group from Contact Energy is planned to come on Friday 27 July. .
Our site is now part of a research project by students from Victoria Universtiy. They are studying the growth rates of lemonwood, wineberry and cabbage trees. These have been tagged and measured, with their positions fixed by GPS. This project may continue for a few years, so you may see students taking various measurements.
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