Lake Moeraki

Visit to lake Moeraki 6/2/09

Today our group visited with Gerry McSweeney and learned about the "green" practices they use for their wilderness lodge. This place was one of the most green that we have seen so far. They have a carbon neutral footprint and create all the needed electricity by using falling water of the Moeraki River. They do not add to the growing problem of green house gases. This place was unique in the thickness of vegetation and the tropical rainforest which has survived because of its location. The forest was surrounded on three sides by the lodges, highway, and lake so the deer were deterred from entry.

This location was originally going to be logged until biologists McSweeney and Anne Saunders decided to save the podocarp trees and use them for nature tourism and economic benefit. By working with the Department of Conservation (DOC) they helped to change the minds of those in the Haast community and to see the benefits in preserving nature while also creating more jobs and a stable economy. As McSweeney put it, "You need to change the hearts and minds of the people; the problem with governmental decisions is that they can easily be reversed by the next government or anyone that comes to power." He also stated, "It's hard to be green when you're in the red." These two statements were really what their business was all about.

One focus of this group has been to save the Fjordland Crested (Tawaki) penguin. This species has struggled due to fishermen's dogs going after the distinctive smell of the penguins and killing them. Fishing with dogs has been outlawed, yet it is still a problem because people are not prosecuted when they bring their dog along on a fishing trip. These penguins are one of the rarest in the world and spend six months nesting in the rainforest and the other six months at sea.

The deer, stoats, possums, and ferrets are among the other problems that ruin the forest and decrease the island's uniqueness. McSweeney thus agreed to the spraying of a chemical known as 1080 over the land. Birds have a low susceptibilityto the formula and it biodegrades into sodium fluoride, which is found in many items including household toothpaste. No better method has been found thus far as it's not plausible to cover such a large area any other way. This chemical is sprayed every 2-3 years because that is how long it takes for these pests to repopulate the area. The rainforest takes what McSweeney refers to as a "double-whammy" because the deer destroy the undergrowth and the possums destroy the tree tops and canopy. The spraying of 1080 has helped the rainforest survive by reducing the numbers of unwanted possums and deer.

Katie J. and Anna