Reminder:
Thursday 10th July

‘Ask the Scientists'- a Network Evening:
Pests, Weeds & Water quality.
Four scientists available to assist groups with questions, issues and ID. Good networking opportunity for groups - make the most of it.

7-9pm
Environment Centre Hamilton
Ward Street Hamilton
Nibbles and drinks provided

2008 GARDEN BIRD SURVEY, 12-20 JULY
You are invited to participate in the 2008 Garden Bird Survey. All you have to do is sit and relax and watch the birds in your garden for 1 hour some time between 12 and 20 July, and record the largest number of each species of bird you see at one time.

You can sit inside looking out the kitchen or living room window, or outside on a garden seat (but be aware that if you're outside you may frighten birds away). You don't have to be able to see your whole garden, only part of it. Survey organiser, Eric Spurr, said 2064 people participated in last year's survey, and he hopes even more will participate this year.

The results of last year's survey are available at http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biocons/gardenbird/ It is planned to repeat the survey annually. After a number of years the data gathered will provide valuable information on population trends of birds in our urban and rural environment. For full instructions (and background information) see: http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biocons/gardenbird/ or contact Eric Spurr, Tel (03) 321 9809, or email spurre@landcareresearch.co.nz

Note for schools - because of a change in holiday dates, the garden bird survey falls into the last week of the holidays this year. As a consequence, we have extended the time allowed for schools to do the survey to include the following week (21-25 July).

July 25 Permaculture Video Night 7pm
Environment Centre

Urban permaculture design video - great water saving features, good use of vertical surfaces, chicken house design, all in an average urban garden.

'An invite to environmental groups to strengthen friendships, celebrate achievements & encourgae collaboration'

Thursday 24th July at the Raglan Bowling Club Wallis Street. 5.30pm social drinks, 6.30pm dinner, 7.30pm forum.

There will be a projector and laptop for people or groups who would like to show photos or information about their project.

Please RSVP by the 17th of July .

Jodi WEC Co-Coordinator. Ph 825 0480

wenvc@kol.co.nz

This is a free event for environmental community groups and individuals who want science expertise and input.

Bring along your questions, problems, weeds for identification, or a water sample to test. We have experts from NIWA, ECOES, DoC and EW to assist. This event will also run in Thames and Coromandel in August.

Thursday 10th July 7-9pm Environment Centre Ward Street. Nibbles provided!

Green Drinks will be meeting at the Furnace on Victoria St at the end of Hood St, thanks to Bob Brown for organising this.
4th July, 5.30pm

Come and discuss climate change and other hot topics, heated debate etc.

Please rsvp to Bob at Robert@casagaia.org so he can organise platters for the hordes - support Green Drinks!

The Environment Centre will only be open Monday, Wednesday and Friday next week - ie 30th, 2nd July and 4th. It is also closed tomorrow.

Help wanted June 27th
Lucy Bridgman is working closely with Landcare and MEIT to research mice behaviour on Maungatautari. She currently has a couple of radio tagged mice roaming around the southern side of the maunga and has been tracking them morning and night since Sunday. She needs a helping hand and although we have already covered monitoring visits through to Friday morning, we still need some one to go out with her on Friday night only from about 4.00 p.m.for minimum four hours.

Telemetry skills are not necessarily essential but it would help if volunteers were familiar with the principles (Lucy will give you a crash course otherwise). More important is that you are ok with walking around the bush in the dark. It is a really good opportunity to find out what these little animals, that are causing so much trouble and cost for the Trust, are up to.

If you think that this might be something that you might like to do, please ring me on (07) 823 7477 or 027 435 3072 or email me on ally@maungatrust.org.

Ally Tairi

Volunteer Co-ordinator / Operations / Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust PO Box 476 / 64 Alpha Street / CAMBRIDGE
DDI (07) 823 7477 / Mob 027 435 3072
Email - ally@maungatrust.org

5th July
Don't forget Tree Crops sale next Saturday at Hamilton Gardens, usually starts early - 8 from memory

Green Drinks on Friday 4th July is cancelled. Enviroschools are unable to host it that day, apologies from them.

The Environment Centre is not available either - I am away, but am on email, and am able to send out posts so if anyone else would like to host it please email me and I can send out another notice.

Cheers Katherine

Kentucky Meadows poultry farm is closing.

They have been supplying Village Organics in Frankton with their free range eggs but the costs don't make it viable. They haven't been using chemicals for the last 3 years. They're selling off all their chickens which are 9 - 20 months old for $3-5 each. If they don't sell them unfortunately they'll be given the chop on Saturday. They also have feed for sale at 70 cents a kilo. If you'd like to buy some chickens their address is 61 Kentucky Rd, RD 2 Cambridge. Kentucky road is opposite Becks Nursery. Their work number is 8235061 and home number 8232639.
They'll be there on Friday otherwise there'll be an honesty box there.

Review of the Hamilton Bylaw (No.2) 1922 (Stables, Pig styes & Poultry)

Submissions on this new bylaw close on Monday - you can put in a submission online and support the responsible keeping of animals and bees.
This bylaw has not attracted much interest but there are a small minority who would prefer poultry to be banned in Hamilton. (Council's approach is to uphold responsible keeping of chooks and other animals) through HCC officers being able to respond to genuine animal nuisance complaints following consistent/fair/reasonable processes).
Your support of this bylaw, noting the importance of responsible keeping of chooks/other animals in Hamilton, to many Hamilton residents, will help ensure the bylaw goes through smoothly.
Please take 5 minutes to follow the link and put in an online submission. You can also if you wish elect to come along and speak to your submission. http://hamilton.co.nz/page/pageid/2145834721
to read proposed the bylaw scroll through the information pack, link below to page 10: http://hamilton.co.nz/file/fileid/8031

Tomorrow Saturday 21 June - Jubilee weeding 9.30am
All welcome. If you are interested in coming please phone Katherine 021 267 2773. Easy work, very rewarding.

Tuesday 24th June
Transition Towns meeting 7pm at the Environment Centre

Transition Towns video, speaker and meeting - worried about the rising fuel and food prices? - come along and help  start planning for a sustainable and resilient community. See www.transitiontowns.org.nz for more information about the Transition towns movement.
All welcome
Phone Katherine for more info 839 4452

Trash to Fashion
Entries to Waikato's upcoming Trash to Fashion show close in 18 days. It's not too late to start making an entry, so start thinking creative and make your waste into something special. Anyone in the greater Waikato region can get involved, and there are special school categories too, as well as two open section categories. Don't forget there are also excellent prizes up for grabs. Download your entry form today from www.hamilton.co.nz/trashtofashion.

For more information on the show and tickets check out the latest edition of the Know It? ... Live It! newsletter, Hamilton sustainable living newsleter, which is now available for download from http://hamilton.co.nz/page/pageid/2145837035/Resources.

Next month's Awards show is promising to be spectacular. Tickets are on sale from Monday, so make sure you and your friends get yours early to avoid disappoinment.
Trash will soon be hitting the catwalk. Let the countdown begin!

Friday 4th July
Green Drinks at Enviroschools, 223 Victoria St, 5.30
Please take your own beverage, nibbles provided.
Gold coin donation, and try and take a new person.

Thursday 10th July
'Ask the Scientists Networking Evening' for community groups

7 - 9pm at the Environment Centre
This is an evening for groups and individuals wanting to put their problems to the experts on environmental issues and community projects. We have a weed and plant expert from DoC, Pest and predators expert from EW, Water quality scientist (NIWA), so bring along your plants and weeds and water samples for testing.

Contact Rachael Goddard 021 261 5759 or phone the Environment Centre 07 839 4452

Sustainable Living series - presented by the Environment Centre Hamilton.
Will be held at Wintec. Thinking about making positive changes in your life but not sure how to go about it?
Starting August 5th for 7 weeks, 7 - 9.
Phone Katherine 839 4452

More Sustainable Urban Design Workshops coming up

A second series has been organised from August through to November at Wintec. Dates will be available in the next day or so.
August: Retrofit Workshop
September: Water Efficiency Workshop
October: Solar, Wind and PV Energy Workshop
November: Eco-Home Design Workshop

More information on these workshops can be found in the Winter 2008 Know it? ... Live it! newsletter which can be downloaded from http://hamilton.co.nz/page/pageid/2145837035/Resources.
Additional workshop information will be sent out once finalised.

Sunday July 13

Forest and Bird Society - Horsemans Track, Te Aroha
We start today's walk in the Te Aroha Domain and we will follow a circuit returning to our starting point after approxi-mately 3 ½ hours. Horseman's track was constructed in the early 1880s and was originally used for early mining ex-ploration and for gathering firewood. This is not a DoC track, but has recently been reopened by an enthusiastic group of local folk. It is a little steep in places so a stick or walking pole would be useful. So do come along and enjoy a bit of local history!
After the walk you may wish to take a dip in the Domain hot pools, coffee at the Domain Café and / or browse through the local museum.
Leave Hamilton at 9.00 am, meet at Te Aroha clock 9.45 - 10.0o am. Bring usual tramping gear, raincoat, warm cloth-ing, good footwear and stick if you feel you need one. Average
Leader Keith Wilkinson 07 847 4399

Sunday 27th July
Waikato Botanical Society - Hauraki Remnants
A visit to remnants of the Hauraki Plains once magnificent kahikatea forest and what is left of the salt meadow on the banks of the Waihou River.
Frank Speedy Memorial Reserve- This kahikatea-Cordyline forest remnant south of Ngatea is an area gifted by the Speedy family that was part of the homestead reserve but is now a public road side rest area. It is an area that has been passed a million times but probably never really looked at, and includes some hybrids between two Melicytus species.
From here a 10 min. drive to the Kopu Bridge, and a short walk along the mangrove fringe of the Waihou River. Heading downstream beside the tidal edge, allows a chance to look at salt tolerant plants away from the tall fescue that dominates this area.
Meet: 9.30am Frank Speedy Memorial Reserve SH2, 2km south of Ngatea
Contact: Doug Ashby dj.ashby@xtra.co.nz ph 07 862 4706

Sunday 10th August
Forest and Bird trip - Morgan Reserve - Maratoto Mine

Average
Meet at F&B's Morgan Reserve at 10.00 am. To find Morgan Reserve, turn left at the old Waikino Railway Station and travel along Waitekauri Rd 2.8 km to the sign posted Reserve. After a brief look at the Reserve the plan is to drive on up the valley to the site of the now closed Golden Cross gold mine. At the end of the road is a public car park. From here we will walk up to the head of the valley and look down into the Maratoto valley.
Bill Fairweather 07 825 0563

Sunday 7th September
Waikato Botanical Society
Fitzgerald Glade (Tukorehe Scenic Reserve), SH 5, Mamaku Plateau (combined trip with Rotorua Botanical Society)
A visit to a well known native forest remnant on the western side of the Mamaku Plateau that everyone has driven through on SH5 but few have stopped to take a closer look. Common species include tawa, mangeao, rewarewa, pukatea, and strangely, masses of young nikau and Arthropteris tenella. Also lots of supplejack. A good chance to produce an up-to-date species list from a rarely botanised scenic reserve. Grade: Medium.
Meet: 9.15am Fitzgerald Glade tearooms, SH 5
Contact: John Hobbs ph 07 348 6620 jffhobbs@paradise.net.nz

October 4th and 5th
Design your own urban permaculture property

2 day weekend workshop offering an interactive, hands-on approach to sustainable suburban or lifestyle design.
Cost $80 - $160 sliding scale
To reserve a place phone Hamilton Permaculture Trust 834 2249

New Directory On line
The new Sustainable Urban Design directory is now online at http://hamilton.co.nz/page/pageid/2145839892/Sustainable_Urban_Design_Directory.

If someone has used a product or service that they would like to recommend to this directory they can do so by contacting the SET team.