Volunteering
Predator Free Russell program wouldn’t be able to run without the crucial work being completed by our volunteers.
Why to volunteer with us?
Predator Free Russell program wouldn’t be able to run without the crucial work being completed by our volunteers. From administration to servicing trap lines, volunteers are a critical part of our workforce. If you’d like to get involved with volunteering at Predator Free Russell, we would welcome you into the variety of activities that we have available.
“In all of our volunteering we like to make things as social as possible. While there are some activities that are done solo in the bush, many are group activities and we provide morning tea and lunch whenever possible. We’ve even got a BBQ that comes out sometimes. As much as giving back to the environment is rewarding by itself, it’s even better with a group of friends.”
– Fletcher Sunde, Volunteer Coordinator
Volunteering options
Volunteering does not stop here, we have many other volunteers doing work in the community and there are other ways that you can become involved.
- We have people trapping in their back yards,
- we have people who sometimes do baking or provide lunch for our volunteers,
- we have administrators and volunteer trustees and we have people monitoring our camera traps to help detect predators.
If any of this sounds like you or if you’ve got another brilliant way that you can help the predator-free cause, we’d really love to hear from you.
TRAP BUILDING
This work is done in conjunction with the Russell Menz Shed and is based at our depot in Matauwhi Bay.
This involves working with tools such as drop saws, hammers and drills to knock together the rat trap boxes that are crucial in the field for excluding weka, kiwi, pets and children from our trapping devices.
This is always a pretty social activity with morning tea and lunch provided.
Usually a 9am starting, finishing for lunch at 1pm.
BIODIVERSITY MONITORING
We run several biodiversity monitoring programs such as quarterly five-minute bird counts and are currently looking for more people to be involved with these, or even take the lead on facilitating additional monitoring programs to begin (with the assistance of our volunteer coordinator).
Monitoring is important as we can’t prove that our work has been effective until we can show the resulting increases in local native biodiversity.
The programs that we’d like to add are korora/little blue penguin monitoring, reptile monitoring, invertebrate monitoring and sea bird monitoring.
If you’d like to be involved in any of this please get in touch
LINE CLEARING AND SERVICING
If you like bush walks but don’t like dealing with dead rats, this one could be for you.
Our trap lines are being continuously overgrown, so we need people to walk them and clear new growth and debris, making the trails quicker and safer for our trappers and volunteers to service.
This is usually done with some light trimmers, secateurs or niwashi at a walking pace. This can be done in your own time or as a small, organised group.
We are always also looking for people to service trapping lines, particularly in our Te Wahapu elimination zone.
This involves being allocated a line (or lines) to set and rebait, usually on a monthly cycle (though sometimes more or less often depending on predator detections).
This is usually solo work, though we ask volunteers to let us know when they’re heading out and we provide all the necessary equipment and training.
BACKYARD TRAPPING
If you would like to look after your own property, we can provide all the training needed as well as traps for you to undertake trapping in your own backyard.
Other ways to help the project
Donate
Any dollar donated towards Predator Free Russell, helps us achieve our goal – make Russell peninsula a sanctuary for native species.
Land access
On Russell peninsula most of the land is private, so by giving access to locate traps on your land, you are helping our project to achieve our goal.
Reporting
The other way to help the project is to report any rat, possum, or stoat sightings in your neighbourhood, and trappers will get on to it.
Get in touch!
We would love to hear from you. Please fill in the form and we will get back to you.