Northland students wage war against rodents

Project Rodent participants Keegan Imms and Blake Weenink (Tauraroa Area School) set rat traps in Whangarei with NRC biosecurity staff member Pete Graham and Paul Dimery.

It wasn't quite the story of the Pied Piper when the Northland Regional Council brought young people and rats together.

Still, the outcome will mean fewer vermin invading Northland's environment.

More than 20 students from three schools gathered in Whangarei recently to gain hands-on knowledge of controlling rats and mice, through the council-assisted Enviroschools programme's first Project Rodent.

The rodent training comes after the success in recent years of similar programmes, Project Possum and Project Mustelid.

Councillor Paul Dimery said the latest project targeted the two most common rats in New Zealand - Norway and ship - as well as the common house mouse.

The students from Tauraroa Area School and Otamatea and Whangarei Girls' High Schools learned about rodent pest control, biology and environmental impacts.

A hands-on skills workshop, the trial included the students setting trap and bait stations in a variety of habitats.

The course was held at Kiwi North in Whangarei and, like its possum and mustelid forerunners, offered participants the chance to earn NCEA unit standard credits.

Tutukaka-based Mr Dimery said he was pleased to see young people taking an interest in pest control.

"[The] council invests a great deal of time and money on behalf of ratepayers working with Northland communities to control a large number of pests - animal and plant - in and around the region, both on land and water.

"Coincidentally this Project Rodent training comes just as we're beginning an extensive public consultation process which include how pests are managed through our Northland Regional Pest and Marine Pathway Management Plan."

Information on rodents, other pest animals and weeds is available from the regional council's website via www.nrc.govt.nz/pestcontrolhub.