Operational plan goat hunting example - DOCDM-247382
< Enter Title of Operation consistent with prescription and operational report >
Goat control in Mt Malibhu Scenic Reserve
2015 – 2020
Version History
Version
Author
Date Written
Change/Reason for change
1
2
3
4
Bungle
Bungle
Bungle
6/11/2014
27/11/14
7/12/14
First draft for comment
Second draft following meeting 9/11
Revised version shared with stakeholders
Overview
Conservation outcome
<Enter conservation outcome here>
To protect the forest understorey and regeneration of forest canopy within the Mount
Malibhu Scenic Reserve.
Scope
<Enter scope of the project here from PREPARING PHASE step 4. Identify target
pests, project exclusions, and project timeframes >
This project includes goat control in Mt Malibhu Scenic Reserve. It is scheduled to
start the 2015/16 financial year and will run for a minimum of five years. The plan
covers the details of the project’s technical design and the organisation of the logistics
for doing the work in the operational phases (pre-operational, operational & postoperational).
This project does not include monitoring forest understorey condition. This is an
important measure of success for this project but monitoring is covered in the Central
North Island Region Vegetation Monitoring Plan 2010-2020 (docdm-146272).
This project ends when a review of the goat control programme takes place based on
results from the vegetation monitoring. This is expected to occur by June 2020.
Outcome target
<Enter outcome targets here from PREPARING PHASE step 4>
The outcome target of the operation is:
• To restore ungulate palatable forest species into the 30cm to 2m tier of existing
forest plots where these species occur by 2020.
• To reach 95% of marked kingfern plants showing no evidence of ungulate browse
by 2020.
Existing forest vegetation plots will be used to monitor outcomes.
Result target
< Enter result targets here from PREPARING PHASE step 4>
The result target for this operation is:
• A goat kill rate of <1 goat per day hunted by March 2017.
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Operational plan goat hunting example - DOCDM-247382
Control Design
< Answer the questions from PREPARING PHASE step 5:
How big? i.e.; scale of control needed
When? i.e.; time of year
How often? i.e.; the planned frequency of control into the future>
To achieve the outcome target the most efficient and effective control design is to
treat the largest treatment area possible to maintain the goat population at a low level.
In this case, the treatment area should be 5500ha, comprising the whole 3500ha
Reserve and 2000ha of the surrounding private land where feral goats are present.
The time of year is flexible to fit with the Regional programming.
A key part of the design will be to initiate the operation with very intensive control
effort using methods which reduce the chances of goats surviving their first encounter
with the method(s) used. Surviving goats are likely to adapt their behaviour to the
control method and become more wary. The vegetation will respond to reduced
browse pressure, improving the nutrition and therefore fecundity of goats. Vegetation
response may also reduce the efficiency of some control methods.
After the initial knockdown maintenance control in subsequent years will focus on
goat favoured habitat in the Reserve and at key reinvasions points around the
periphery.
Site description
< Enter site description here from PREPARING PHASE step 1 covering:
–
Values;
–
Threats;
–
Issues; and
–
Other management at the site (past, present and future)>
Values
The Malibhu Scenic Reserve 3500ha is the best remaining example of lowland
podocarp hardwood forest in the Malibhu Ecological Region. Mount Malibhu Scenic
Reserve requires ongoing protection for nationally threatened and regionally rare
plant species including kingfern, Northern rata, kohekohe, raukawa, NZ cedar,
Pittosporum turneri, Pseudopanax laetus, and Hall’s totara. The reserve is also a
nationally significant habitat for native bird species such as North Island brown kiwi,
kereru, kaka and NZ Falcon. Protection of forest habitat for these animals is vital to
their long-term survival. The native Powelliphanta land snail is endemic to the Mali
Ecological District. Of the three known populations, the one at Mt Malibhu is
considered the largest. Reptiles recorded in the area include Nautinus elegans
(Gradual Decline), Cyclodina aenea (Not Threatened) and Oligosoma N. polychrome
(Not threatened).
The treatment area also includes 2000ha of the surrounding private land where feral
goats are present. This land has limited conservation value because most of it is
pasture and the forest remnants are freely accessed by grazing stock.
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Operational plan goat hunting example - DOCDM-247382
Threats
Animal pest species present in the reserve are: stoat, ferret, weasel, Norway rat, ship
rat, mouse, hedgehog, cat, pig, goat, red deer, rabbit, hare and possum. Goats are in
moderate numbers. Recent possum control has reduced possums to low numbers.
Introduced pests are having major impacts on Mt Malibhu flora and fauna. Ungulates
are affecting forest regeneration, modifying the understorey and have severely
browsed kingfern (Serious Decline) and Pittosporum turneri (Nationally
Endangered). Powelliphanta snails (Serious Decline) appear to have been heavily
preyed on by possums and probably ship rats. The extent to which hedgehogs, rodents
and pigs affect snails at this site is unknown. Mustelids especially stoats, are affecting
kiwi through chick predation.
Considerable forest modification has occurred since early botanists described the
vegetation as dense and impenetrable (Source, 1879). Goats, possums, pigs and
domestic stock have depleted many plant species on the forest floor and in the
canopy. Accessible areas of the lower slopes of Mount Malibhu were logged or
partially cleared in the past 150 years.
Where access is good recreational hunters have assisted in keeping goat numbers to
low levels. Illegal liberations of red deer in the 1970’s have resulted in very low
numbers throughout areas of low altitude forest. Cattle grazing in the leased area to
the north-west of the reserve have caused considerable damage to the understorey, but
improvements to fencing in the late 1980s have improved the situation. Besides this
leased area, just over half of Mount Malibhu boundaries require upgraded fences.
Issues
Deeply dissected valleys, steep slopes and bluffs are all features of the area especially
near the summit. This means access on foot will be difficult and unsafe in places.
Numerous spurs and ridges radiate from the extinct volcanoes of Malibhu (980
metres) and the Cone (945 m), the two highest peaks within the Scenic Reserve.
Goats are occurring in mobs of 20-50 on some of the farmland surrounding the
Reserve. Access to neighbouring farms has been negotiated with landowners.
Other management at the site
Past: Possums were controlled aerially in 2014 (Pestlink reference 14/15MLB08).
Concurrent: Stoat control is planned to be concurrent with the goat control
programme.
Where?
Map
<Operational area>
<Treatment area>
<Treatment blocks>
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Operational plan goat hunting example - DOCDM-247382
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Operational plan goat hunting example - DOCDM-247382
What?
Method
<Enter control method here from PREPARING PHASE step 10 >
A combination of aerial hunting, Wall of Death team hunting with dogs followed up
by judas goats. Boundary control will involve aerial shooting, mustering and fence
upgrading.
Timing
<Enter the proposed timing of the fieldwork consistent with control design above >
The preferred timing for fieldwork in year 1 is November-December 2015. Effort will
be put into upgrading the boundary fencing in the first two years, to improve stock
control and reinvasion by goats. Fieldwork will occur in each of years 2 to 5, the
timing of which will be determined when this operational plan is revised annually.
Method detail
< Enter method details consistent with Pestlink method fields and best practice. Give
enough detail to clearly show how the work will be done but leave the fine details for
Task Specifications>
Fencing and mustering
An inventory of boundary fence condition will be undertaken in August from which a
prioritised work programme will be created. Priority will be given to sites with
obvious stock trespass where the fence can be most easily fixed to prevent it. Second
priority will be given to boundaries where adjoining farmers are ready willing and
able to upgrade fences. Those farmers wanting to muster goats will be encouraged to
complete this by the end of October. DOC may consider assisting with mustering
using the helicopter immediately prior to aerial hunting.
Aerial Hunting
A .223 calibre self loading rifle will be used from a Robinson R22 helicopter to hunt
open farmland around the boundary and the inaccessible cliff areas near the central
cone. Hunting times will vary according to local weather conditions and pilot
availability. A total of 35hours flying time is available for this work in the 2015/16
financial year. Aerial hunting will begin at the end of October, concurrently with the
end of mustering and the capture of judas goats. Most effort will be spent around the
boundary of the reserve at the beginning of the project before ground hunting begins
but occasional sorties will be flown around the steep country near the summit
throughout the summer to pick up goats which move to country where ground hunting
pressure is low due to the terrain. Close coordination will be required between aerial
and ground hunting to ensure small mobs on the steep country are taken together by
helicopter before they are dispersed by the ground hunting. Future effort will be
determined at the annual operational debrief.
Ground hunting
The ‘wall of death’ method will use a team of radio equipped hunters with dogs to
traverse blocks in a sweeping line. Up to six hunters will be used depending on the
size of the blocks. Each hunter will use a .222 calibre bolt action rifle with sound
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Operational plan goat hunting example - DOCDM-247382
suppressor. Two complete sweeps of every block in the treatment area using this
method is required this summer. Future effort will be reviewed at the annual
operational debrief.
Judas goats
Up to 20 goats will be captured from the block at the beginning of the operation using
the helicopter and held in a tightly fenced farm paddock until required. Near the end
of the project they will be radio tagged and released within the treatment area using
the helicopter and a remote release cage. After 2 months they will be tracked by
ground hunters. Any ‘lost’ goats will be located during aerial hunting sorties where
possible. A total of 12 judas goats will be deployed at the end of the first summer.
Future effort will be reviewed at the annual operational debrief
Outcome and Result Monitoring
< Outline outcome and result monitoring proposed and refer to separate plan as
necessary >
Result
monitoring
Monitoring the effectiveness of the operation will be done using
catch per unit effort. Hunters will log kill locations using GPS and
keep a daily record of time spent hunting and kills made. Hunter
coverage will be determined using track logging function of the
GPS downloaded onto mapping software.
For details see the task specification for Wall of Death hunting once
completed.
Outcome
monitoring
Existing forest plots will be re-measured in the first summer and
baseline data for kingfern monitoring will be established. Forest
plots will be measured again in 2020 to indicate the change in
understorey condition.
For details refer to the Central North Island Region Vegetation
Monitoring Plan 2010-2020 (docdm-146272).
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Operational plan goat hunting example - DOCDM-247382
How?
Consents required
< Identify consents required from PLANNING PHASE step 2, using Working out
which consents you need (docdm-1475279) >
1. Landowner or occupier consent
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes (operation involves pesticides)
No (traps or hunting only)
Yes
No
2. Resource consent
3. Public health permission
4. DOC permission
5. EPA permission
CIMS Structure
<Use the Coordinated Incident Management System (CIMS) format to identify key
roles and lines of communication for the project where this is considered to be useful
to the project team.>
Not helpful for this project.
Task list
o < The task list can be completed in the table below OR in the designated Excel
tab of the compliance register (docdm-1475273). The compliance register
provides tools for sorting and filtering tasks. If used, delete the table below
and replace it with a link to the compliance register.
o Break down the project into well defined tasks and identify who will be
responsible for each. This list is likely to change as new “things to do” arise
and are inserted. Use your own judgement to decide how much detail to
include here. For complex or critically important tasks refer to task
specifications for more detail.
o Identify milestones by highlighting
o When assigning tasks, consider qualifications and competencies required,
training and briefing needs.
o Schedule task target dates and enter dates completed when updating this plan.
Be consistent with control design when scheduling preferred timing for field
work. Consider dependencies and lead time required to complete PREOPERATIONAL steps.>
This schedule covers the first season of operation and will be revised annually:
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Operational plan goat hunting example - DOCDM-247382
Operational
Pre-operational
Phase
Target
Date
Task
Delegated to:
Task
specification
Date
Completed
10/9/15
Notification and Communication
plan maintenance
Mike Bungle
See
communication
plan
Ongoing
12/9/15
Helicopter safety training refresher
Mike Bungle
30/9/15
Complete task specifications
Mike Bungle
30/9/15
Safety plan complete
Jo Safety
15/10/15
Field equipment organised
Richard
Cranium
16/10/15
Capture judas goats
Richard
Cranium
1/11/15
1/11/15
Aerial hunting begins
Mike Bungle
Hunting camps established
Gary Smith
3/11/15
Mike Bungle
Wall of Death hunting begins
Task
specification to
come
Task
specification to
come
30/4/16
Judas goats deployed
Richard
Cranium
Extract hunting camps
Gary Smith
Notes for report
Gary Smith
11/5/16
End of season landowner visits
Mike Bungle
15/6/16
Debrief operation for the year
Mike Bungle
15/6/16
Revise operational plan for next
season
Mike Bungle
10/5/16
2/6/16
Post-operational
Task
specification to
come
Task
specification to
come
Contract
8
Task
specification to
come
Operational plan goat hunting example - DOCDM-247382
Deliverables
< Provide links to relevant documents>
o Tender documents
o Communication plan
o DOC application
o Consents
o Safety plan
o Safety briefing
o Emergency Response Plan for transport
o Emergency Response Plan for storage
o Contracts
o Checklist of info required for operational report
o Warning sign register
o Costings spreadsheet
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