Trelissick Park Group
Region: Wellington
Award Category: Wellington
Year: 2014
Since 1991, the Group has been working at clearing the Park, which is a beautiful reserve with streams, gorge, canyon, steep rocky slopes and forest areas. The neglected area had been affected over the years by railway building and tunnelling, road making, sewer pipe installation and erosion from storm water outlets.
The knowledge of Trelissick Park Group members, especially Peter Reimann, Bill Hester and Frances Lee, have greatly assisted the Wellington City Council in identifying locations and priorities for weed control. Their knowledge of the Park is extensive and their historical perspective is valuable in the effective control and restoration of areas. The Group has made so much progress in controlling weeds in the reserve, that they are expanding their horizons to outside the park boundaries, and tackling infestations on neighbouring properties. For example Himalayan Balsam has largely been removed from the Park over more than 5 years (1000s of infestations), however infestations upstream were identified by the Group and these areas were controlled both by Trelissick Park Group volunteers and Council contractors. In fact the volunteers were so quick off the mark that the infestations in the neighbouring reserve were controlled before the work could be issued to contractors. Not only do they do the control, volunteers are essential eyes in identifying larger infestations that need to be controlled. Either a map of the weeds or a description is sent to Council by these super weedbusters for future control work.
The Trelissick Park Group s constant vigilance and communication with Council Officers, not to mention their constant use of Vigilant is an immensely valuable and hugely appreciated.