The lights may have gone out for a colony of glow worms in Dunedin, after Dunedin City Council workers began felling exotic conifer trees in Frasers Gully.
The first of the trees came crashing down late last week, as City Forests workers began a six-week project to remove a 3ha block of conifers in the area.
However, it appeared the workers might have also inadvertently destroyed the glow worms' sensitive habitat.
Dunedin man Peter Dunn told the Otago Daily Times the popular insects populated a steep and well-shaded bank near the start of the track.
On Sunday, he visited the area to find trees above the bank - which helped shade the area - had been brought down, destroying the glow worms' habitat.
"They've dropped all these trees over the bank and they're right up against where the glow worms are.
"It's destroyed their habitat.
"It's got to be dark and shady for them to be there," he said.
He and his children regularly visited the spot, as did other residents, and it was "absurd" the council did not know about the glow worms.
Mr Dunn was also upset the workers had blocked the track with fallen trees over the weekend, despite plans to reopen the track each weekend as work continued.
It also appeared runoff from the work site was leaching into the nearby Kaikorai Stream, he said yesterday.
Council parks and reserves team leader Martin Thompson said when contacted he was only alerted to the glow worms' existence in the area yesterday.
Previous flora and fauna studies carried out by the council, while preparing a management plan for the area, had made no mention of glow worms, Mr Thompson said.
There had also been no mention of the glow worms during public consultation on plans to fell the trees, he said.
"It came as a surprise to us.
"If we'd known they were there ... we could have avoided that area," he said.
Trees had since been cleared from the area, and efforts would be made to minimise further disruption, he said.
He hoped the glow worms might survive the encounter, as the bank was "fairly steep" and "quite shaded".
"Even with the trees gone, it'll still be a fairly shaded bank."
Workers had also been reminded to keep the track clear during weekends, or alert the council sooner if it was not possible, he said.
However, hay bales put down to filter runoff before it entered the stream had been checked yesterday and appeared to be working, he said.
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