We welcomed our guest speaker Councillor Andy Foster to the meeting on 11 September and Andy took the opportunity to outline the proposal to formally establish a Karori Environmental Association. The aim is to protect and enhance the natural environment of Karori and its surrounds, including landscapes, waterways, indigenous vegetation and to encourage public involvement in projects, access and enjoyment of the natural environment.
Andy outlined several key projects that community groups have already indicated their interest in being involved in and he encouraged our Rotary Club to pick up and lead out on the opportunities that he presented to the Club . He was keen to see various organisations in Karori to come together and participate in a range of project ideas.
Reserve areas in Karori need improvement and this attracted interest from members who wished to take up the challenge and to discuss some specific ideas more with Andy. One statistic of interest was the number of traps that Karori residents have on their properties bordering reserves, bush areas and Zealandia to trap environmental predators, with 1000 traps noted at last count in the suburb.
The Club expressed its thanks to Andy for his presentation and gave a strong indication that the Club would certainly like to lead out on some of the project challenges on offer.