FuturEcology & EmGuard ™ October 2022 Update
Hello from the team at FuturEcology & EmGuard ™
Slowly but surely, we are recovering from the August floods in Nelson and the warm weather over the last 3 days has been just wonderful.
Robert and Jan managed a very quick break to Australia after the initial cleanup, visiting Noosa and the Lismore area, where we have family based. Lismore was also hit by devastating floods in February, so it was interesting to do comparisons.
They reckon that in most of Australia you drive on the left of the road but in Lismore you drive on what’s left of the road. Sounds very familiar.
We did a lovely eco-tour of an area near Noosa that they call the Australian Everglades.
Canadian canoeing up the Noosa River deep into the national park was magical and we would recommend it.
Remembering Pete.
By Jan Fryer
That old adage of “you just never know what is round the corner” hit us with a wallop this month.
I’m sitting here listening to Pink Floyd, belting out “Wish you were here” as we come to terms with the fact that Pete Crowle, our contractor extraordinaire, who has been with FuturEcology since May 2018, died suddenly last Thursday. He suffered what was a suspected heart attack, while working on his boat trailer so he could go fishing over Labour weekend. Pink Floyd was one of his favourite bands and many a lunchtime conversation was had over the best music, especially between us “oldies- the over 50’s” and the “young ones- the under 40’s”. Fishing was another of his passions and again lots of discussion about best lures, bait or places to fish were had. He and Robert had an ongoing competition to see who could catch the first kingfish.
Pete was our mainstay during planting season as he collected plants from the nurseries, got the counts right as he was brilliant at quick addition (a crucial part of the job) and got the right plants to all sorts of difficult sites, always with the best can-do attitude. Then during and after planting, he was our chief guarder, getting EmGuards onto tens of thousands of plants. He also kept Emma and I sane many a time as we searched for addresses, up difficult driveways, backing his huge trailer laden with guards to waiting customers. Toll called him “pink Pete” as he had got himself a pink high viz vest for fun and to stand out from the sea of orange vests, as he picked up another load of guards.
During the summer he wore his other hat, running his Southern Deer company, buying, and selling deer velvet and transporting trophy stags from one end of NZ to the other.
No matter what the weather, he always had shorts on. The only time I ever saw him in trousers was at the Nelson Business Awards when we won the Clever Business Awards for EmGuards. I didn’t recognise him at all, scrubbed up in his black suit, white shirt and bow tie.
He was so proud of all of us and loved his work of “ Saving the Planet – one tree at a time”.
We will miss him so much. His loyalty, his can-do attitude (we don’t know who will fix all our broken spades now), his thinking outside the square to solve a problem and his cheerfulness. Our thoughts are with his daughter, partner and family as we all learn to live life without his cheerful smile and optimism.
A very big lesson to all of us to” don’t put off till tomorrow what you want to do today” and seizing opportunities is the key to a life well lived.
Welcoming FuturEcology’s first apprentice.
As we farewell Pete, we are also looking to the future and to nurturing the passion of our younger generation for the environment. We believe our legacy as a company is to pass on our skills, passion, and knowledge to the next generation.
20 year old Desiah Neho, who first worked with us last year as a casual over the planting season and again this year, has been offered and accepted our first apprenticeship, working through the Primary ITO to gain a 3 year NZ Apprenticeship in Horticulture Services – Amenity Level 3 and 4. There is no specific apprenticeship for Conservation but the skills learnt through this training will be transferrable across a range of horticulture sectors.
This is so exciting for both Desiah and us as it is all about building future capacity and skilled staff with sound practical skills in conservation and ecology. There is such a need for these skills in our changing world. Desiah continues to amaze and delight us with his observation skills. He recently found a Powelliphanta hochstetteri consobrina (giant land snail) shell that had obviously been washed down from the mountain tops during the recent Nelson floods. It was in the Wakapuaka River and although the snail was obviously dead, it is encouraging to know that there are some of these left in the tops around the Wakapuaka catchment.
We are really looking forward to seeing Desiah increase his knowledge of ecology and grow in confidence as he tackles this new challenge with the support from the wider FuturEcology Team and the Primary ITO.
Pseudopanax crassifolius
By Emma Fryer
Common name: Lancewood, Horoeka
Pseudopanax crassifolius is one of the three species of lancewood native to New Zealand. Lancewoods are smaller trees, growing to around 15m tall with a trunk diameter of up to 50cm.
The plants are either male or female with small, greenish-yellow flowers that are pollinated by insects. The trees produce a purplish-black fruit that are an important food source for both tūī and kereru. In Māori lore, the flowering of lancewoods was significant as it was an indication that birds would be plentiful in the following year, as the fruit takes a whole year to ripen (Department of Conservation, n.d.).
Lancewoods have very distinctive juvenile and adult forms. This is a condition referred to as ‘heteroblasty’. There are several theories as to why the trees change so much in maturity, one theory suggesting it is a product of evolution in response to moa browsing.
Juvenile lancewoods have straight, thin trunks without branches. They have a cluster of long, narrow, deflexed leaves at the top. Adult leaves change dramatically and are half the length of juvenile leaves and twice the width, forming a crown at the top of the tree.
This month we are taking a moment to appreciate lancewoods, particularly Pseudopanax crassifolius as it was one of Pete’s favourite trees. He didn’t mention what it was he liked so much about the tree but maybe it was the fact that like Pete, they are unique.
Pete has planted many thousands of trees during his time at FuturEcology, leaving a legacy for generations to come.
While his time came far too early, we are beyond grateful for the time we got with Pete and it is our turn now to plant a tree for him. We have got three Pseudopanax crassifolius in memory of Pete which we will plant next to the Wakapuaka River. We hope Pete is in his happy place, fishing, with a Great Northern beer in hand, feeling proud of the work he has done and the lives he touched. Our lives are richer for knowing him.
EmGuard™ update.
Planting continues apace around the country, and we are happy to still be sending EmGuards from Te Anau to Northland.
The brand-new die cutter had a bit of a melt-down this week unfortunately with the American made EmGuard die not keeping up with the demand being placed on it. The factory is working hard to get a much more robust NZ made die manufactured so we can keep pumping out guards.
We will have more guards by the end of the week.
We learnt last Monday that the road between Blenheim and Nelson is to be closed from the 1st of November for 7 weeks while they repair the badly flood damaged road. This will impact somewhat on freight times as much of our freight will likely go via Christchurch. Please allow plenty of time for delivery if you are needing guards for a specific project, particularly if you are based north of Christchurch or in the North Island.
The die showing the broken piece taped up.
Weed of the Month
By Alvin Bartley
Akebia quinata - Chocolate Vine
As delicious as this exotic plant sounds, it is named after it’s chocolatey scent rather than a vine covered in chocolate. Although parts of the plant can be eaten, it happens to pose a real threat to our ecology here in Whakatū Nelson.
Akebia quinata is a climbing vine which grows very quickly. Like other exotic vines, it grows up and over native vegetation, smothering plants underneath. Through this process, it can form a monoculture of vineland inhibiting germination and growth of plants below.
It is spread by both fragments and birds so care must be taken when working in and around it not to leave broken material on the ground. To remove the vine, hand pull isolated plants including as much root material as you can grab. Dispose of the material to landfill or bury deeply -don’t try to compost it. Small infestations can be cut at the ground and at eye level and Cut'n'Paste applied to the cut surfaces to kill the vine. Larger infestations can be sprayed with a knapsack: Glyphosate 1%/Metsulfuron 5gm/10L mix, Dye 20mls/ 10L, Pulse 10mls/10L.
FuturEcology is supporting the Nelson City Council to control its spread.
Photos from weedbusters.org.nz
Interesting Snippets
What we’ve been reading - The Art of Racing in the Rain
By Emma Fryer
The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully written novel by Garth Stein. The story is narrated through the eyes of Enzo the dog.
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs; he is a philosopher trapped in a dog’s body.
His education came from watching television and listening very closely to his owner, Denny Smith, an up and coming race car driver.
As a team of dog lovers, this novel has been loved by the FuturEcology team.
Goodreads rated the book 4.22/5 and described it as “A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life ... as only a dog could tell it”.
What we have been watching - “This is going to hurt” TVNZ +
By Jan Fryer
Based on the best-selling non-fiction memoir by Adam Kay, it is quite a confronting British comedy drama series of a young junior doctor, Adam Kay, in his chaotic job in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. It travels with him as he deals with the disorder and fatigue of hospital life, personal relationships, coming out to his conservative parents and the extreme challenges of dealing with life and death on a daily basis, in a seriously underfunded health system.
There are certainly parallels and lessons for our own health system. My sister, an ED Consultant in Christchurch Hospital, showed me their library in the ED Department last week, which includes this memoir as a must read.
I just went for a walk in one of our plantings in the local reserve, and things are springing back into life, despite the flood. However, the weeds are also having a ball, but at least they are still easy to pull out. So, if your clearing around your Guards, or your plants, sooner is better!
Have a great Labour Weekend.
By Jan Fryer