Rotary in action – Improving the biodiversity in Dolbel Reserve, Taradale, New Zealand.

Fig 1 The team planting

Thirty years is a long time for a project to be unfinished!  But for a dedicated group of Rotarians, ex Rotarians and friends it’s accepted it will take a number of generations of volunteers before the native trees mature and the undergrowth settles in Dolbel Reserve.  Why? Well, they are converting a 19 ha block of hill country from scrub and rubbish to a recreational reserve.  The hills provide the backdrop to Taradale, a suburb of Napier – the tourist mecca on the east coast of the North Island.

Initiated by an agreement between the Napier City Council and the Taradale Rotary Club in 1993, the Greenmeadows Rotary Club was soon after asked to assist with the development work.  Since then both clubs have worked closely together to convert this ‘wasteland’ into a delightful park with a mix of native and exotic trees, walking tracks and grassland with fantastic views over the city to the Pacific Ocean.

Each week members spend hours of time – in the winter planting, in the summer watering and all through the year clearing round plants removing weeds and cleaning up to ensure the park is in pristine condition.  Last winter, the Greenmeadows Club introduced a very successful scheme whereby members could donate a plant, identifiable by a numbered stake so that those not able to clamber about the hill slopes could feel they were part of the project.  This year the club received a grant of $1350 from the Napier City Council which will enable the current planting programme to be completed.

The park is an example of how an environmental project is never finished.  The annual planting programmes have meant that, in some sites, trees are past their use by date and are dying, while in other areas, mature forms of trees are just emerging.  Research is showing that it takes 20 years before the canopy is sufficiently closed to increase the humidity, allowing a lush undergrowth to develop in contrast to the bare ground environment of the early regenerating years.  This all makes for a fascinating environment as not only do visitors get great views, but they get to experience an ever-changing biodiversity.

Fig 2 Les Mockford, Garth Eyles, Geoff Bibby and Peter Thompson, part of the maintenance crew in the cool of 20 year old plantings

Volunteering in this environment allows for a wide range of capabilities to be satisfied; the younger and fitter enjoy the effort of planting, pruning and clearing while the older, less agile, enjoy the more relaxed environment around watering newly established plants, providing the good feelings of helping the plants refresh as well as time to view the local scenery.

Members come and members go but the interesting fact is that those who feel they are too old for Rotary are often not too old to spend time working in the park.  Maybe it’s the physical environment, maybe it’s the company or maybe it’s the prospect of a quiet and sociable cup of coffee at the end of the morning’s work. Whatever it is it certainly works as for 30 years there has been no shortage of members and friends willing to participate in this environmental project of developing Dolbel Reserve.