Twelve hundred hectare Lake Omapere provided drinking water for nearby Kaikohe township until the mid-1980s when it fell victim to a large algal bloom, ironically brought on by the collapse of invasive oxygen weed beds in its waters.
In recent years the Lake Omapere Trust, local landowners, the Northland Regional Council (NRC), Far North District Council (FNDC) and the Department of Conservation have been working to improve the lake’s health by various means, including restoring native vegetation around its margins and extensive fencing.
Kate Banbury, a Land Management Officer with the NRC, says planting and fencing helps keep stock out of the lake, minimising further sediment and nutrient input into its waters, as well as providing valuable habitat for native birds and other species.
She says planting is being boosted by the efforts of about 10 inmates from the Northland Correctional Facility, more commonly known as Ngawha Prison.
Since last year inmates have grown 10,000 roughly knee-high native kanuka trees and harakeke (flax), of which a quarter will be planted at Lake Omapere this year.
The inmates grow the plants at the prison, near Kaikohe, as part of a polytech horticulture course under the supervision of local NorthTech tutor Justin Blaikie.
“I’m thrilled to be able to give the inmates an opportunity to do something positive for themselves and the lake,” Mr Blaikie says.
Mr Blaikie is keen to supply native plants to similar Northland projects and is to give a presentation on the inmates’ work to members of the NRC’S Landcare Committee at a meeting in Whangarei on Tuesday next week. (subs: Tues 20 Feb)
Meanwhile, Ms Banbury says about 15km of the lake’s margins across nine properties have been fenced since the summer of 2004, with another roughly 3km scheduled for completion in about a year’s time.
“That will leave just a single 300m stretch to complete the project. Negotiations with the landowner involved are ongoing.”
To date a total of about $160,000 has been spent fencing the lake’s margin, including funding from landowners, the NRC, the Far North District Council, Nga Whenua Rahui and central govt’s Biodiversity Condition Fund funding.
Further information:
- Remana Henwood, Lake Omapere Project Management Group
Ph: (09) 405 7857
- Justin Blaikie, Horticulture Tutor at Northland Region Corrections Facility
Ph: (09) 401 5800
- Kate Banbury, Land Management Officer, Northland Regional Council
Ph: (09) 438 4639
- Stephen Jones, Communications Manager, Correction Services
Ph: (021) 761 229 or e-mail Stephen.jones1@corrections.govt.nz