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Forest & Bird » Marine and Coastal

1. TNEK
   User Profile

   We need to your vote for our FERNBIRD, whose natural habitat in the middle of the Auckland city is under threat due to Northwestern motorway expansion going through the nationally significant POLLEN ISLAND Marine Reserve.

   Vote for fernbird before 5pm 14th Oct NZ time. Help our endangered fernbird to raise the voice for wetland and marine reserves protection. If you know someone can help, pass on the message – one computer can vote only once (so don’t forget to vote at home computer too).

   Thank you all.
   From the campaign team for "Fernbird for Bird of the Year 2009"
   <<< VOTE HERE >>>: www.forestandbird.org.nz/poll (we are at near bottom of the voting page)

   About our campaign & photos:
   http://blog.forestandbird.org.nz/fernbirds-forever/#more-1019
   http://forum.forestandbird.org.nz/topic/auckland-motorway-expension-vs-conservation

   Posted 2 years ago #

2. brent
   User Profile

   bird bias mixed with vote enrichment strategies - I love it!

   Posted 2 years ago #

3. auckland anne
   User Profile

   No-one said we had to be nice about getting there....8-)

   I'm pleased as punch to report that as of now anyway, fernbird has been one of the real bolters in the Bird of the Year race for the finish post. Up until Sat he had a massive 60odd votes and was languishinhg near the end of the field, but since Sat he's bolted to seventh place with some 445 votes (and counting). We're as proud as punch of the little guy. No corporate-backing, and no specific trusts in his name, he's definitely not a well-known bird, but now lots more people will know that he exists and his wetland home needs all the help it can get.

   Kia kaha little bird...

   Posted 2 years ago #

4. TNEK
   User Profile

   To those of you who responded to our appeal of yesterday and voted for the fernbird in the Forest & Bird Bird of the Year elections, many thanks!

   Your votes helped ensure that the fernbird made it into the Top 10, with most of the other nine birds household names and in some cases national icons. As a consequence, the fernbird was listed in the press release put out by Forest and Bird to announce the results. This is a real publicity achievement for an obscure species like the fernbird. It even aced the fantail, NZ falcon, Pukeko, Kereru, Kokako & Kaka!

   There is method in the madness, as we are involved with the conjoint project of Forest & Bird Waitakere and Central Auckland branches in lobbying Transit NZ to make some conservation and restoration improvements in the Motu Manawa (Pollen Island) Marine Reserve, through which the planned State Highway 16/Northwestern Motorway widening project will run. You may not have heard of the Motu Manawa (Pollen Island) Marine Reserve, but you are driving through it when you travel along the Northwestern Motorway between Waterview and Te Atatu & Rosebank Peninsula. The motorway crosses directly over Traherne Island and runs alongside Pollen Island.

   Our leverage is that the nationally endangered fernbird is recorded as living on Pollen Island and Traherne Island within the marine reserve. The fact that fernbirds live there will oblige mitigation strategies to be included in the SH16 widening, as was obligated when the State Highway 1/Northern Motorway extension was built near Puhoi. In the latter case a viaduct was constructed to carry the motorway, so that local fernbirds could hop blissfully underneath it rather than risk getting killed crossing the road.

   To their credit Transit NZ and DoC are up to speed with the fernbird’s need in the SH16 project.

   Go fernbird!

   The top 10 birds in this year’s poll are:

   1. Kiwi (1586 votes)
   2. Rifleman (1230 votes)
   3. Kea (1093 votes)
   4. Kakapo (829 votes)
   5. Tui (619 votes)
   6. Takahe (571 votes)
   7. Fernbird (462 votes)
   8. Fantail ( 395 votes)
   9. Karearea/native falcon (383 votes)
   10. Pukeko (382 votes)

   Many thanks again for your interest and efforts in the fernbird’s cause. The fernbird thanks you from the bottom of its little heart!

   The Fernbird Team

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   Posted 2 years ago #

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