A good catch at the Bike Park

By Jon Maud

These boys are part of the predator control programme that takes place at Whitianga’s Bike Park. Every catch is a bonus! This predator catching team are from Te Hā o Hei Mercury Bay Area School who organise this very necessary activity. Every second Friday the students from MBAS come up to the Bike Park and maintain predator trap lines throughout the park. The Bike Park applies for funding for the supply of traps and bait. Recently the Mercury Bay Club contributed towards traps and bait for the next six months. The students are catching possums, stoats, rats, and hedgehog's. Teresa Shepherd is the teacher running the program which is getting more and more popular each year.

MBAS has extended the program into studying the streams at the Bike Park for fish life, water quality etc.

It is nice to see parents taking the time to assist with these visits and have that interaction and involvement.

Caption: Left to Right - Theo Costello, Rohan Percival, Jack Nash-Penwarden,

Liam Clothier, Lucas McDonald.