Darcy Oishi

As part of the tour for the NETS conference, we went to a couple of place. The first was a place called _ where we learned about Landcare Research's efforts to use control ragwort. It would have been more interesting if there was ragwort that wasn't dormant and the insects attacking it. In many ways, the program reminded me of what I am doing with fireweed control in Hawai‘i, engaging ranchers to kick things into gear— and in this case to get others to participate in the program. The sheep ranchers, as I learned in a quiet conversation on the side with the owner, aren't as progressive as others think; they can be dubious of biocontrol, it's effectiveness and whether there is a need to take action. After that, we headed to a site where blue penguins were being protected from a variety of dangers, including becoming road kill as they seek out nesting sites. I didn't get to see any penguins, much to my charinge, but the site was interesting as a river flowed into the sea and occasionally the waves would push up the river. It was over my boots at one point (but my feet stayed dry, yay boots). I meant to test the temperature of the river water but I forgot. I also encountered both black flies and biting midges for the first time. Finally we took a look at Pancake flats, a pure toursist excursion. It was pretty interesting to see and was a nice opportunity to see some different scenery and stretch my legs.

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Do you see the images in the rocks?

What about here?

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