Bat Roost Trees, Pleasant Point Domain

Sat 14.07.18. I live on Afghan St, diagonally opp Pleasant Point domain, which includes sports fields, camping ground & a pleasant walk around part of the golf course beneath a mix of mature, exotic trees & native trees. The circular walk from my home takes about half an hour.

Last week when I did my circuit round the golf course, I saw 3 mature, exotic trees, including a redwood, along the path, which had anti-predator, metal sleeves hammered onto the boles & above each anti-predator sleeve, a round disk reading:

Bat Roost Tree. Protected under the Wildlife Act 1953.

As there were native trees & shrubs growing beneath the exotics, like pittosporums & cabbage trees, it was daft that only exotic trees were used as roosts. Bat roosts were wishful thinking, as there was no bat crap beneath any domain trees, including the so-called Bat Roost Trees. The only crap I saw below trees was bird crap signified by feathers fallen from nests.

Perhaps Council & DOC could be proactive & plant more natives like totara, matai & kahikatea as potential Bat Roost Trees.

Geraldine, another South Canterbury town, about 25 kms away, boasted on their tourist, toilet murals about being the home of the NZ long tailed bat, Chalinolobus tuberculatus.

Today, I did my circuit around Pleasant Point domain & looked out for the long tailed bats roosting in the Bat Roost Trees during mid afternoon, bat roost time. Not a single bat was seen!

In future, if I see any bats I'll keep you posted...

A July 2018, Environment Canterbury (ECAN) pamphlet read:

                 South Canterbury

The Long-Tailed Bat (pekapeka) is a shy
South Canterbury native, classified as
'endangered / nationally critical' by DOC
An estimated population of just 2,300 can
be found within a triangle from Geraldine to
Cave and down to Temuka, A project between
Environment Canterbury, DOC and forestry
company Port Blakely is removing possums,
rats, weasels and stoats from the area on
Port Blakely's land to help protect the bats.
These predators kill adult bats & pups,
so keeping their numbers down is key to
maintaining the bat population.

ECAN did not say Port Blakely was a USA logging company, nor acknowledge that humans are the biggest predator of all, nor say what native trees Port Blakely company was planting, if any. Never mind all the slash pollution by forestry when harvesting trees, like radiata pine or douglas fir, leaving blots on the landscape for years, enabling exotic pests like broom & gorse to invade. When forestry companies & farmers burn slash on temperature inversion, wintry days, fires cause smoke pollution for miles around on Canterbury plains. Big companies love the conservation charade. I worked for DeBeers in SA in the 1980s & they did similar conservation, propaganda BS, exploiting the land.

ECAN did not acknowledge that most exotic, forestry logs were exported, causing local firewood costs to rocket. I live beside SH8 and log trucks frequently pass, transporting logs to Timaru harbour for export. A wander around Timaru harbour enables anyone with eyes to see acres of export logs, piled high. Pity bats & ECAN bullshit!

Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.

See Long Tailed Bat (DOC).

See Port Blakely logging

See ECAN.

Mt Oxford Climbs, Email Exchange

Email exchange with JK, a Christchurch engineer, about permissions from local farmers for walkers to cross their private land up Mt Oxford.

JK's email:

Hi Mark,

I have recently read your Woza Wanderer blog post of the Mt Oxford summit via Big Ben Saddle from 2010. [See Mt Oxford Summit via Big Ben Saddle and Ashley Saddle].

Thanks for putting in the effort for such a detailed write up.

I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction for gaining access to these areas?

You mentioned getting permission to pass through private properties that this route used. Do you know who these landowners are and / or their contact details?

I can't seem to find any information about who owns the land and the only other option I can think of is to drive there and do some investigating in person.

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks,

JK.

My email reply:

Hi JK,

Your instinct to drive there & check out things yourself is best. If I do a mountain walk / climb in potentially dangerous, isolated places, I first recce the walk / climb with maps, binoculars & scout the area first to prep my walk in favourable weather. I watch TV weather forecasts like a hawk, before I do the walk / climb, ensuring I go in good weather.

I used general road maps to drive to Mt Oxford, quite easy from Christchurch, or Oxford village. Topo50 maps can be bought from various shops, especially in tourist areas, which give detailed topography of a specific area. Topo50 maps cost about $8-10 each, depending on where you buy. Going up Mt Oxford is OK from Coopers Creek carpark, no permission needed, if you stick to the marked / pole route, but if you go off track it is advisable to find the farmer who owns the land & ask. Easier said than done.

I don't know the farmers in the Oxford area, so I just did the walk you asked about & tried my luck. Once, I got through to Big Ben Saddle & Ashley Saddle, no problem. The next time I went, I was stopped by a forestry worker, but he let me continue after I explained what I was up to. If you're nervous about farmers / land owners, ask at town Info offices, who could give you advice about farmers' permissions. Info boards in town centres also give good advice about available walks. DOC parks are good too, with permanent map boards & poled walks.

A locator beacon can be bought / hired from a reputable dealer, in case you have an accident, or have crap weather & need rescuing. I don't have a locator beacon, as they are costly to buy & hire. I let family know where I am going, with my intended walk / climb drawn or marked on a map given to my family before I leave. [Just in case.] I try to text family en route on my walk / climb. Valleys usually have lousy cell / text coverage. Mt tops or ridges, cell / text coverage is better, but not guaranteed, depending on how remote your position is.

Find out about hunting season months, like now in winter, you don't want to be accidentally shot! Best walking months are warm, summer months (after hunting season closes) Nov-Mar incl. Farmers usually don't like walkers on their  properties while hunters are there - too much chance of a shooting accident!

Good luck. Go well & stay safe.

Regards,

Mark JS Esslemont.

Not mentioned in my email reply: Farmers don't want walkers (or dogs) on their property disturbing sheep during lambing season, nor during mustering, like autumn mustering.

Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.