Josh Leenhouwers and his daughter Noa check traps in the Abel Tasman National Park.
If you can’t help but feel a twinge of envy as you watch the tourists pass through town on their way to the striking wilderness of our national parks, the Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust might just have the antidote.
The trust is looking to bolster its volunteer force and is calling on locals to register their interest to assist with recording predator data and clearing traps within the national park.
Trust coordinator Abby Butler said that they were looking for “able-bodied, keen” people to join their ranks as their organisation took over the endeavour from fellow conservation group Project Janszoon, who established predator control over much of the park to then hand over to another group.
She explained that the volunteers would become part of the rostered teams that carried out fortnightly trap checks between Marahau and Awaroa, travelling in by water taxi. On-the-ground training would to be provided along the relevant section, or line, of track, after which the line leader would liaise with the volunteers to coordinate the ongoing trap inspections.
