SIRCET's 2010-11 Annual Report is now available for download, just click on the link at the top of this page.

The report is a great round-up of what we've been up to over the year, covering all of our field days, monitoring results, fundraising, volunteer activities and more.

What better way to spend a summer's evening than strolling out at Acker's Point counting penguins?

SIRCET is looking for volunteers to help with our annual Little Blue Penguin counts as well as this year's Titi/ Sooty Shearwater burrowscoping... it's easy and loads of fun! For more information, check out our November issue of SIRCET News above, or contact Alina on (03) 2191 487 or alina@sircet.org.nz!

We have a bumper issue newsletter this month!

Check out what SIRCET's been up to this Spring, you can find the link to the newsletter on our News & Events Page.

Thanks again to Donna and Gloria at the Southland District Council for the graphic design work!

SIRCET takes first prize in Community Awards

SIRCET’s significant achievements over the past 12 months was recognised at this year’s TrustPower Community Awards presentations, held in Invercargill on 7^th November, with the trust taking out the 2011 Regional Winner award and $500 prize in the Heritage and Environment category. SIRCET volunteers were commended for “working extremely hard to protect the huge variety of native flora and fauna that call Stewart Island home”.

Congratulations to the SIRCET team, local land owners and all our volunteers, supporters and sponsors! 2011 has seen some major challenges and achievements, and Southland has proudly recognised all your hard work and dedication through this award!

SIRCET has recently reviewed its sponsorship and membership options and some changes have been made to bring us in line with similar charities involved in habitat restoration:

The long-standing Sponsor-a-Hectare program has remained unchanged, except for the introduction of the new map at the Rakiura Environment Centre.

Become a Friend of SIRCET.

Subscribe to become a Business Sponsor and receive our new Business Sponsor logo to show your support.

Sponsor a Possum Trap or take advantage of our Vehicle Sponsorship Package.

For more information please see our Get Involved page.

The upgrade to the Rakiura Environment Centre is now complete, come and check out the new look, we're located next to the Glowng Sky T-Shirt Shop on Stewart Island.

Thanks to all who attended the Re-Launch Drinks & Nibbles on 15 October, the night was a huge success with over $300 being raised for the Halfmoon Bay Habitat Restoration Project!

Check out the September edition of SIRCET News. Thanks to Donna and Gloria at Southland District Council for their continued work on these!

After a phenomenal effort by volunteers, supporters and sponsors over the last year, SIRCET’s new Rakiura Environment Centre is now complete, and we’d like to show our thanks by extending a warm invitation to all to attend our

Re-launch drinks & nibbles 

Saturday 15 October, 4:30-7pm 

at the Centre on Elgin Terrace, Stewart Island, next to the Glowing Sky t-shirt shop.

For any questions, please contact Alina on (03) 219 1487 or alina@sircet.org.nz

SIRCET celebrated Conservation Week with a working bee of its own on Wednesday 14^th September. Local community volunteers armed with spades and gardening gloves stuck into some much needed weeding and planting at the Lonnekers Beach revegetation site, pulling stubborn gorse and bracken, sliding over the steep weed-matted site and replacing a few plants that had perished over the winter. Thanks to all who attended – Lonnekers is looking sharp again!

Sunday the 11^th of September saw 3oo Southlanders and overseas visitors descend upon Bushy Point, Otatara for the Southland Living Legends Muck-In, celebrating this year’s Conservation Week. Southland’s Bushy Point Restoration Project venue is the Otatara Landcare Group’s “forest in the making”, which commenced in 2000. Volunteers Sharon Pascoe, Ann Pullen and five students from Halfmoon Bay School attended the event, and set to work planting trees, distributing fertiliser, handing out lollies and even a little babysitting! Thanks guys, you really did us proud! Over 5,000 native trees were planted on the day, and this was achieved in less than an hour! We were rewarded with a sausage sizzle for lunch. Alina Thiebes also volunteered with a SIRCET display. It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the Stewart Island community’s projects and to chat with other local community groups about their recent achievements, current projects and future plans. Thanks to Real Journeys for sponsoring transport, to Mark Oster (DOC) for organising the event, major sponsors Meridian Energy and Project Crimson, Linda & Ray and the team at the Otatara Landcare Trust and, to Ruud Kleinpaste (The Bugman) who was our passionate and inspirational host on the day.

Between the 25th of June and the 3rd of July Landcare Research is conducting the National Garden Bird Survey, and inviting you to watch birds in your garden for 1 hour, and record the highest number of each species you hear or see at any one time.

You don't have to watch the whole garden, just part of it will do, and you can even watch from the comfort of your own living room!

By participating in the survey, you will help build up a picture of how both native and introduced birds are faring in our gardens over the years. Let's see if we can make this year's survey even more successful than last year's record breaking one!

Visit www.landcareresearch.co.nz or contact Alina (03) 219 1487 or alina@sircet.org.nz for printable bird identification posters, a downloadable survey, instructions or for more information.

Volunteer Awareness Week is being celebrated throughout New Zealand this month (19 - 25 June), and the theme is "Every Minute Counts", it's a great time for first-timers to give volunteering a go! 

SIRCET is celebrating by holding a Trapping Refresher Workshop at the Fuschia Walk (Traill Park, Stewart Island) on Saturday the 25th June starting at 9:30am, followed by complimentary morning tea (site to be advised).

So invite your friends, family members and co-workers and join us for a morning of fun learning, share your experiences and discover the wide range of activities you can get involved with, no matter what age or background - everybody has something to contribute and "Every Minute Counts"!

We say a sad farewell to our Species Manager Claire Kilner, who is moving on to continue her studies in Wildlife Management in Dunedin...goodbye and good luck Claire!

And a warm welcome to our new Project Administrator Alina Thiebes, and Trustees Jules Retberg and Letitia McRitchie, welcome to the team! Check out our June SIRCET News for introductions.

Just letting you all know that I am leaving SIRCET to go back to uni - today's my final day on the island. I've had an awesome time and learnt heaps, thanks to the volunteers and trustees for making my time with SIRCET so much fun. Keep up the great work! Claire