It is a collaboration between Pest Free Waimakariri, Rangiora High School and Comcol North Canterbury.
The ambitious, long-term goal, once the tree corridor had been established, was for the high school and Comcol to support the Ashley-Rakahuri Rivercare Group to expand the trapped area south through Rangiora, technology teacher David Woodstock said.
"Additionally, we could support trapping activities around Matawai Park and Northbrook Wetlands," he said.
"We intend to engage with our neighbours, offering traps in exchange for monitoring and maintenance of those traps."
The first traps, which were made at Rangiora High School by one of the year 9 technology groups, were laid on the school grounds last Friday.
The trapping programme was a vital component of the tree corridor project because it would improve biodiversity which would help ensure the survival of the expected increase in native birds in the area.
"We started by using tracking tunnels placed around the high school property in an effort to establish which pests we had on site," Mr Woodstock said.
They identified mice, and a few rats, but far more hedgehogs.
"Hedgehogs are a specific pest in our district due to their predation on ground-nesting eggs and chicks, particularly around our braided rivers," he said.
"They also eat our native reptiles: geckos and skinks."
As a result, he and his students designed and made traps suitable for eliminating hedgehogs, using a Department of Conservation 150-trap mechanism.
Next term they would focus on making smaller traps to catch mice and rats.
Across the road from the school, at Comcol North Canterbury, tutor Eru Metcalfe has been preparing for the planting programme needed to create the native tree corridor by growing trees in the college’s Living Laboratory Native Nursery.
Mr Metcalfe has also been collecting superfluous native trees, saplings and seedlings donated by community members from private gardens to add to his collection.
A risk assessment is done on each plant to make sure it is healthy, before it is added to the Living Laboratory collection.
It is estimated 10,000 trees will be needed for the native tree corridor, which will require community support to succeed. Anyone who can help support the tree corridor initiative, by allowing a rodent trap to be placed on their property, or by donating healthy native trees, saplings and/or seedlings, can contact Mr Metcalfe at Comcol North Canterbury on 0800605-060.
