Trust Ranger, Reuben Lane, hadn’t expected the small crowd that turned up to learn about trapping at Punakaiki on Friday.
Last year, only one interested person came along for a similar workshop, but this time, Punakaiki did us proud and 18 people came to learn about rat, stoat, possum and, just for fun, gopher traps! They learned the best ways to set and bait them in order to manage predators, particularly those threatening native birds, but also to avoid harm to inquisitive native birds such as wekas. 
Chris and John at the Pancake Rocks Cafe had kindly provided the venue for both the workshop and then an illustrated talk on West Coast Seabirds, presented by Trust Chairperson, Kerry-Jayne Wilson. They generously provided refreshments for the audience of nearly 30, who learned about the rarest penguin, the Fiordland Crested Penguin, the worrying effects of climate change on seabird food sources in the subantarctic, and much more.
If you would like to be on the Trust’s email list to find out about similar events, drop a line to info@bluepenguin.org.nz.
