Diary of a Conservationist: A Day in the Forest

6:00AM

My alarm bursts into life. The flashing screen, that all-too-familiar ringtone and the rather violent vibrating catapults me from my dreams and roots me firmly back into reality. Today is a Cons day. A day of Conservation. The best sort of days. Shower, coffee, breakfast. It’s game on.

8:00 AM

Arriving at work, the jackets and jumpers go on. It’s a cold, crisp morning down at the base, it’ll be a fair few degrees chillier up in the forest. Step one, gather the gear. Bait, tongs, little gas cylinders, lunch, and a plethora of other bits are thrown into a bag and a plan is hatched for the day. With the van loaded up, off we go, meandering up those familiar roads to the heart of the forest.

8:15 AM

Arriving at the forest, I'm greeted by the same old trees, standing tall and proud in the morning light. Some well over a thousand years old. If only they could tell you their story. The wisdom they would have! Sometimes I find myself in complete awe of them. With a thermos in hand, I start my way along the trapping line.

9:30 AM

The forest comes alive as I make my way through the undergrowth, checking each trap with care. Most of them are Goodnature A24s and A12s, with a few DOC 200 and DOC 250s scattered throughout. Logging the catch data on the TrapNZ app has become second nature now, a dance of fingers on the screen as I record each capture. After rebaiting and cleaning the traps, I continue on my journey.

12:00 PM

Lunchtime rolls around, and I plop down amongst the trees, sandwich in one hand and a view of the canopy above. It's a peaceful moment, listening to the birds chirp and watching the sunlight filter through the leaves. Not a bad way to spend a midday break. Once settled down and still, I always find that the animals and critters start to come out with curiosity. Interested in this strange being tramping through their home. Next to me is a beautiful little blue mushroom (Werewere Kokako), still wet from the morning dew.

12:30 PM

Back to work, I tackle those traps with renewed energy from lunch. This trapping business is hard work!

2:00 PM

As the afternoon wears on, I find myself laughing and joking with my colleague, swapping stories and sharing the little victories of the day. It's moments like these that remind me why I love what I do, messy traps and all.

2:30 PM

As the sun starts to dip below the trees, casting long shadows across the forest floor, I take a moment to soak it all in. Sure, it's been a solid days work, but there's a sense of satisfaction in knowing that every trap checked, every data point logged, brings us one step closer to our goal of protecting this beautiful forest. And that's a goal worth chasing, day in and day out.