Thread: Roger Lentle on Radio New Zealand

find the middle ground...controlled population,vegetation still doing its thing with animal numbers kept in check to ensure it stays that way.
if we can do it with ground shooters firstly and aerial control when n where needed.... search n destroy as 2nd to last resort.... dreaded green rain last resort
the biggest issue is to get parties t oagree to whats the happy medium...and Ive had first hand experience on just how hard that is to do..bugger it I will share.

small council block,old quarry with pines planted around it....one afternoon I observed some twigs n twittery types crouched down in grass getting all exccited..turns out that particular bit of ground is one of the very few areas around that hdnt ever been plowed and some rather rare grasses etc were found.
I had been trapping said block so already had relationship with council..
they decided some light controlled grazing of block was needed,I was asked to provide sheep.
we started with 6..NOT ENOUGH they said get more,so we built up a small flock..the block was cut in two..one half to be grazed,one left with no sheep..idea was to keep monitering areas and over time work out ideal density of sheep per ha to maintain the native grasses etc the sheep were there to help keep down exotic grasses..meanwhile the council decided the trees "had to go" to allow the other grasses etc to continue growing.
the twigs n twitter brigade were happy,sheep were happy,the lizard observers were happy...they even had all the matagouri bushes labeled..now here it gets weird/funny /sad... they were planting trees n shrubs around,great idea,I pointed out there was 8 good established plants along old fenceline and if they put new fence 2meters towards road the ycould replant the whole strip,sheep proof and be a seed bed..so in came contractor..pissbowled the old fence INCLUDING the 6 established mature seeding plants and put in new fence.... and nowhere to plant.
so...sheep doing fine,keeping grass down to below hay levels,then we get perfect storm..drought,the rabbit numbers exploded and had shelter in the rowed up pine slash,the sheep got ontop of grass and nibbled on the schrubbery..PANIC PANIC PANIC
I offered to reduce sheep numbers.I offered to put only a few in and take them out dead when required
I offered to keep them elsewhere and just poke a few in as and when needed
but nope...the yall had to go....ever tried to fit 30 sheep into a townsized freezer???
to say I was pissed off is putting it mildly..AND the whole experiment was abandoned...so its back to paying someone to mow around edges to prevent fire risk
now if they cant do control in a 20ha open country block..what show do we have of getting all interested parties to agree on bigger scale???