In a summary published following the branch’s recent annual meeting, Mrs Young detailed new and ongoing activities carried out by the group, and laid out a way forward for the coming year.
She told the Otago Daily Times like other community organisations the
key had been working out how to keep going and maintain impetus under Covid.
"A lot of our activities rely on co-operating as a group and, although some of those can work fine while socially distanced, others can’t, and we’ve had to adapt."
As an example, Mrs Young said the group’s annual native plant sale fundraiser had become "contactless".
"We took orders and left plants at the gate to be picked up, which worked well, and we raised more than $17,000, which was comparable to previous years."
The next sale would take place in April, in a format yet to be decided.
She said many field-based conservation activities could still take place, as they were outdoors and naturally socially-distanced.
The group did work in areas of track maintenance; trapping and predator control; weed clearance; plantings; and bat and yellow-eyed penguin conservation in the Catlins.
Mrs Young encouraged others — you did not need to be a Forest & Bird member — to volunteer.
She said regular working bees took place at Tautuku in the Catlins, and Otanomomo, just south of Balclutha, and were an opportunity to get outside in nature, and help restore the area’s native bush and wildlife.
Further details were available on social media, or by email, at janejimyoung@slingshot.co.nz.
