The Halfmoon Bay Habitat Restoration Project is divided up into three areas: the Core, Buffer, and Community zones. Trapping of rats, feral cats and possums and weed control occurs in all three zones along trap lines. Trap lines also run along many roads and tracks within the project area. We use tracking tunnels in all three zones to determine the percentage of rats present. Residents in the Project area also control rats on their own properties with traps provided by SIRCET.
Core zone: 49 Hectares, 10 Kilometres of trap lines
Our predator controller works in the core zone. Visiting volunteers also help with pest control in this area. The aim is to protect our precious unique birdlife. As well as DOC200 type box traps, D-Rat Supervisor Max traps and Trapinator possum traps we have a network of 120 Good Nature™ A24 automatic rat traps.
Buffer Zone: 16 Hectares, 3 Kilometres of trap lines
Intensive trapping is carried out in this zone to prevent reinvasion of pests into the core. Our predator controller carries out trapping in this area with help from resident and visiting volunteers. SIRCET also maintains a habitat restoration area at Lonnekers beach where we have replanted the area with plants grown from our Community Native Plant Nursery.
Community Zone: 131 Hectares, 15 Kilometres of trap lines.
This is our largest trapping area. Community zone lines are checked by resident Stewart Island volunteers with support from a paid predator controller. We aim to increase birdlife in the most populated areas and to prevent pests from invading into the Core and Buffer Zones.
Horseshoe Point Expansion Area: 100ha
This area was added while we had a team funded by Jobs for Nature to do the work required to set up a trap track network. There are 77 Trapinator possum traps that are now checked by local volunteers and 145 Goodnature A24 self setting traps in this area. Monitoring is also done here to guage results of the trapping programme.
