Conservation Comment: Numbers down when heat is on

Turnout: The Whanganui Summer Programme's walking tour of central city heritage trees in January started in Pakaitore/Moutoa Gardens. The drop-off in turnout for programme events this year may have been due in part to the very hot weather. Photo/file

WELL, summer is still lingering as we head into autumn, with many lovely warm days still about.

However, the shortening days and the end of daylight saving next weekend mean winter is on its way.

It is appropriate to look back over the Whanganui Summer Programme (WSP) that ran for most days during January.

Numbers were down a little, and we had to cancel a few outings due to a cyclone forecast.

This was the first time that I can remember that cyclone threats have come so early in the season, but as we have more climate disruption predicted in a warming world, they will become even more frequent and harsh.

The programme had the usual number of trips out of town, some local trips and four evening talks held at the Davis Lecture Theatre. We can only guess why numbers decreased but I believe the unusually hot, balmy days and nights turned people away.

Sitting in a bus where the air conditioning struggles to keep the bus cool, especially after it has been stopped for a break, sometimes makes for a less-than-comfortable journey.
The Davis Lecture Theatre in the museum can be a bit stuffy, with only warmish air circulating. Another factor is, I believe, our increasingly sedentary population.

Trips with little or no walking are often fully booked, while those requiring a reasonable amount of walking are less popular.

This reinforces the fact that most of our participants are elderly and less mobile. And, of course, with such a hot summer, being outside at the swimming pool or barbecue would be a popular option.

Our committee is fully cognisant of these facts and the big challenge is finding new, interesting and yet still suitable places to go to in a day.

We have, over the almost 30 years since the programme started in Whanganui, been to some amazing places. But all trips eventually reach a point where those who wish to go have been, so we need to continually come up with new ideas. Sometimes we give a particular trip a rest for a few years and then run it again, but the new trips are what our long-time supporters look for.

January is a very busy time in Whanganui with many events competing for people's time and money. It is also the school holidays and many people are out of town.

Our challenge is to find the new places that people want to visit and make sure we survive for the next 30 years.

■ Ridgway Lythgoe is a retired Department of Conservation officer, keen environmentalist, tramper and traveller.