Gully Restoration Project
I am interested in forming a group, to restore a local gully back to the original flora and fauna typical of Waikato gullies in pre European times. This project has the full support of Hamilton City Council.
This is an ideal “community based” project. It requires a variety of skills, and could be undertaken by people from all age groups from teenagers through to retirees. If you would like to be involved in setting up this group, please contact Rex Bushell on 854-0973 or reply on this blog.
The gully I have in mind is the upperMangaiti park gully that runs behind St James Drive, Rototuna, Hamilton, New Zealand.
There are two parts to this gully system:
(i) Narrow gully floors
Land form: *Colluvium, rhyolitic sands(volcanic), silt and gravel + organic, poorly drained, flat
(*Colluvium is sediment that has moved downhill to the bottom of the slope without the help of running water in streams. Gravity, in the form of soil creep, and sheet wash during rain storms are the predominant agents.)
Historic vegetation type: Kahikatea – pukatea – swamp marie forest
The poorly drained gully floor and their associated backswamps were dominated by Kahikatea, pukatea, swamp marie, cabbage tree and pokaka. Understorey and ground cover species include mapou, fuchsia, lancewood, pate, Coprosma rotundifolia, Cyathea cunninghamii, Astelia grandis, kiekie and supplejack. This type is represented in a small (1ha) remnant immediately east of Hammond Park, alongside the Waikato River, which is described in detail in de Lange (1996)
Land form: *Colluvium, rhyolitic sands(volcanic), silt and gravel + organic, poorly drained, flat
(*Colluvium is sediment that has moved downhill to the bottom of the slope without the help of running water in streams. Gravity, in the form of soil creep, and sheet wash during rain storms are the predominant agents.)
Historic vegetation type: Kahikatea – pukatea – swamp marie forest
The poorly drained gully floor and their associated backswamps were dominated by Kahikatea, pukatea, swamp marie, cabbage tree and pokaka. Understorey and ground cover species include mapou, fuchsia, lancewood, pate, Coprosma rotundifolia, Cyathea cunninghamii, Astelia grandis, kiekie and supplejack. This type is represented in a small (1ha) remnant immediately east of Hammond Park, alongside the Waikato River, which is described in detail in de Lange (1996)
(ii) Terrace *scarps and gully sides
*scarps, a steep slope in land form.
Landform: Hinuera formation, rhyolitic (volcanic)sand and gravel, well drained, steep
Historic vegetation type: Totara – matai – kowia forest
The scarps and steep gully side slopes were covered with forest dominated by totara, matai and kowhai. Kanuka and kamahi were also present, and mahoe occurred in more poorly drained sites. The understorey included shrubs of mapou, mingimingi, and Rhabdothamnus solandri , and the ground was covered in a variety of ferns such as Blechnum chambersii, Doodia media, and Polystichum richardii. Slopes too steep for forest had herbaceous or shrubby vegetation including Machaerina sinclairii wharariki, rangiora, koromiko, and heketara.
*scarps, a steep slope in land form.
Landform: Hinuera formation, rhyolitic (volcanic)sand and gravel, well drained, steep
Historic vegetation type: Totara – matai – kowia forest
The scarps and steep gully side slopes were covered with forest dominated by totara, matai and kowhai. Kanuka and kamahi were also present, and mahoe occurred in more poorly drained sites. The understorey included shrubs of mapou, mingimingi, and Rhabdothamnus solandri , and the ground was covered in a variety of ferns such as Blechnum chambersii, Doodia media, and Polystichum richardii. Slopes too steep for forest had herbaceous or shrubby vegetation including Machaerina sinclairii wharariki, rangiora, koromiko, and heketara.
No comments:
Post a Comment