<- Homepage: Freshwater ecology Taupō
Day 1
1. Rafting on the Tongariro
Join Garth Oakden from Tongariro River Rafting for a white-water rafting experience on the Tongariro River. This is a great way to get outdoors and experience a river habitat and its surrounding wildlife up close. One of the goals of this river trip was to see whio on the river. Watch to see if the goal was achieved.
2. Helping Whio
Garth Oakden and his wife Leigh are the founders of the Blue Duck Project. It was set up to bring whio back to their traditional habitat along the Tongariro River. Today, there are 800 traps set along 40 kilometres of the river, and it is common to see whio while rafting. I wonder what animals the traps are targeting.
3. Searching for Critters
The types of macroinvertebrates that are living in a river are a good indicator of the river’s health. In this video Krysia Nowak shows you what macroinvertebrates are living in the Tongariro River. I wonder what role they play in the river’s food web.
4. Freshwater Fish
Take a look around the Genesis Freshwater Aquarium at the Tongariro National Trout Centre with James Cooper. Many of our native and endemic freshwater fish species are difficult to see, especially as most of them are nocturnal. The aquarium allows you to get up close and see what may very well be living in a stream near you.
Day 2
1. Fish trap Monitoring
DOC fishery scientists have a range of monitoring techniques to assess how well the trout are doing each year. In this video, Michel Dedual talks through the process of monitoring trout from a fish trap.
2. Drift Diving to Monitor Fish
Drift diving is another monitoring technique used by fishery scientists. Michel Dedual describes how it is done and why.
3. Surveying Anglers
Fisheries scientists also talk to the anglers trying to catch trout. Talking with anglers is a good way to see how well management of the fishery is working. This video will give you a better idea of what the angler survey is all about.
4. Learning to Fish
Head to the kids fishing pond outside the Taupō for Tomorrow classroom at the National Trout Centre. National Trout Centre Society volunteer Peter Wilton takes Kuratau School student Lenny through the basics of trout fly fishing. I wonder if she can catch one.
Day 3
1. Balancing Power Generation and River Flow
The Tongariro Power Scheme gets the freshwater it needs from local rivers to generate electricity. The water is taken via structures called intakes. Building any structure on a river creates changes in water flow. In this video, Cam Speedy from Genesis Energy explains the systems that have been set up to reduce the environmental effects of the power scheme.
2. Bringing Tuna Back
Cam Speedy from Genesis Energy describes the solution created for migrating tuna (eels) that faced a barrier, in the form of a dam, on their journey upstream. This dam prevented the tuna from entering a lake, reducing tuna numbers there. What was the affect on reduced tuna numbers for the local hapū and what was the solution to this problem?
3. Restoring Awa
Join Project Tongariro and some local students who are helping with some planting along the side of the river. In the video the students share their thoughts on the benefits of restoration planting. What do you think the benefits are? Is there a restoration project near you that you can be a part of?
4. Different Values for Wai
In this video we speak with local students and Krysia Nowak about the many groups of people, as well as plants and animals, that value and rely on good quality freshwater. Working together to meet the needs of both people and ecology is all about striking the right balance. This video can be used to start a conversation about your own use and value of freshwater resources, and how you might work together for its future sustainability.
Videos Guide
Video question sheet - Word (31k) | PDF (217k) | Google Doc to use for each video (based on SOLO Taxonomy).
