The group’s most significant achievement in the past year was enabling 1.5ha of forest bordering the rata-fringed Tahakopa Estuary, to be protected by a Queen Elizabeth II National Trust covenant. It is now known as the Findlater Covenant.
This accomplishment, secured through countless volunteer hours, ensures the pristine natural environment is legally protected in perpetuity for visitors.
The trust was founded in 1996 on the belief that "like-minded people could achieve great things together".
Two other covenanted spaces under trust management are Shanks’s Bush and Mabel’s Bush.
They care for the Chaslands Tussock Restoration Reserve, maintain predator traps at Mahaka Reserve and seabird nesting areas, and support local projects such as the Matai Rail Trail, Catlins Lakeside viewing area, and the Historic Chaslands Cemetery. The volunteers are also responsible for weed control and track maintenance at Rocky Knoll.
"We all feel pleased that we are able to do work that enhances and preserves natural features that current and future folk can admire and enjoy," trust secretary Fergus Sutherland, who has lived in Papatowai since 1955, said.
"The most heartening development in recent years has been the increase in native forest bird numbers and diversity [which] I put down ... to the trapping of pests such as rats and stoats.
"We are mindful of former trustees who really helped get the trust up and running in the early days."
The Papatowai Forest Heritage Trust has eight trustees and more than 70 supporters from all over New Zealand.
"Their dedication to preserving the natural and historical heritage of the Catlins, coupled with their active community engagement, makes the Papatowai Forest Heritage Trust a deserving recipient of the Heritage and Environment Award," a council spokesman said.
