localeye passes the 5000 mark 

Visitor stats to localeye continue to climb. February recorded over 16,000 visitors. localeye has over 5,500 sites listed.

If you know of any site based in, or about, this region, please let us know and we will add it to the database.

Recent News and Events

Top water users targeted
Organic sales each Tuesday
Christchurch Biodiversity strategy
Clean air for Canterbury
Support available for biodiversity work
Irrigation restrictions
Whats the rainfall in Canterbury
Water report for Canterbury

Sites Added

Park Talk
An occasional newsletter from the Department of Conservation’s Waimakariri Area Office

Te Ngahere
Canterbury plants and ecosystems newsletter published bi-annually by the Department of Conservation’s Motukarara Conservation Nursery.

Plans and Reports for Coasts and Harbours
Plans and reports from Environment Canterbury covering the coastline and harbours of the region.

Traffic Management in the Northlands area
Information from the Christchurch City Council about the project to change and improve traffic management around the Northlands Mall area.

Water

For Christchurch City residents experiencing some falls of "good" rain recently  it may seem as though the drought is over. But  rainfall is uneven around Canterbury and apart from the whole agricultural use of water we all now face the consequences of low water storage levels in our hydro lakes.

As of 21st March, Environment Canterbury declared forty-six rivers and creeks in Canterbury to  have total or partial irrigation restrictions in place. The restrictions include a total ban on irrigating from the Rakaia and Waimakariri Rivers, and a partial restriction on the Rangitata River and Rangitata Diversion Race, which has reduced water allocation from that river by a third.

 In a press release on March 31st the council said  the rainfall is a good start to easing dry conditions in the region, however, further changes to irrigation restrictions will hinge on rainfall patterns over the next few weeks. At this stage there has only been a minor response to river and stream flows because the major catchments remain dry. Between 20mm to 60mm of rain was recorded over the weekend in mainly the Canterbury Plains and foothills with less impact further inland. Steady rainfall has benefited ground moisture levels.

To keep up to date on the water and rainfall situation check Environment Canterbury's Water page and also their News page.

Buried Treasures

Spotlight on some localeye resources ...

A Bird in the Bush  - or the Backyard

Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research is a government crown research institute based at Lincoln which carries out research into biodiversity and ecosystems processes. Interesting items on their site include
TuiTime - a nature adventure education site for teachers and children and the Tui in My Backyard project and Quardle Oodle Ardle - A newsletter describing a nationally co-ordinated trial to decide whether magpies have a serious impact on other birds.

 A current Landcare project  in Canterbury is the Bellbird observation report . Landcare,  in association with Christchurch City Council, Barbara Anglem of Canterbury University, Ornithological Society Members and University students, are conducting studies on the distribution and dispersal of bellbirds in and around Christchurch. They  are hoping to better understand how to improve their habitat, range and survival. Over 50 birds were banded on the Port Hills last summer and  they are trying to track their movements. They have teams out spotting birds at present, but  thier  coverage will be greatly increased by the public sending back information. Members of the public can use an electronic form to report their sightings.

Bird Lists - Birdguide
Information on bird species in Canterbury from NZERN - the New Zealand Ecological Restoration Network. Includes data on birds in various areas including Travis Wetlands, Bexley Wetlands, and Eel Creek Reserve.

The Christchurch City Council includes information on local birdlife in their Bexley Wetland  and Travis Wetland pages, their Bexley Wetland and Travis Wetland newsletters.