Cumberland Hall students, Okia Reserve & O Week
The Trust was delighted to have help from 6 University of Otago Cumberland Hall students on Wednesday 19 February.
While some students arriving at Otago may have a range of recreational activities in mind , the 6 from Cumberland Hall were keen to assist Leith Thomson (Trust Ranger) and David McFarlane (Field Manager) with plant releasing at the Trust’ Okia Reserve.
Volunteering for community causes has become a regular feature of O Week and is facilitated by the recently established University Volunteer Centre.
For most of the group it was the first time they had been down the Otago Peninsula, and were surprised to find that they were the only people on the 3km long Victory Beach that borders the reserve.
Cumberland Hall volunteer, Leigh Edlinger who is also a volunteer lifeguard in her home town of Auckland, commented that there she was more used to several thousand people at Piha.
Year old native plantings established to provide future nesting habitat for yellow-eyed penguins were released from competing exotic lupin with loppers and pruning saws.
The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust hopes to develop the relationship with Cumberland Hall in the rest of 2014.
