Hikaroroa / Mt Watkin Conservation Group (HMWCG)

HMWCG is a community group comprised of the properties surrounding the Hikaroroa / Mt Watkin Scenic Reserve. This area contains the best remaining examples of the forest types that covered the Coastal Otago hills before European settlement, and Hikaroroa / Mt. Watkin is the mauka tīpuna for Kāti Huirapa ki Puketeraki.

The focus of HMWCG is the control of introduced predators and monitoring on the properties surrounding the reserve by local volunteers, with an expansion of scope to manage the remaining pest species, habitat restoration, and the re-introduction of taonga species in the future.

HMWCG has been awarded funding from the ORC, DCC, and WDC for possum and mustelid suppression around the reserve, and will be working together with other conservation projects in the area including Predator Free Dunedin and the DCC's efforts inside the reserve.

Get involved

The group is looking for volunteers to get involved in helping manage the trapping and monitoring networks and facilitate the growth of the project. There are a range of volunteer tasks and positions available.

If you are interested in being involved, please email us for more information at: HMWconservationgroup@gmail.com

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