Some of the grasses planted will help filter the rainwater from the nearby Barrys point road and business area helping to keep the water clean that flows into Shoal estuary before flowing on to the Hauraki Gulf.
One of the children spotted a skink so that was exciting but by the look of the single cell on its head it appears that this is the invasive rainbow skink that is regarded as a pest because it breeds so fast and risks taking over habits of our native species. I have often seen rainbow skinks in this reserve on sunny summer days when they enjoy basking in the warmth at the edge of pathways.
A small group of volunteers have been helping with predator control in this reserve to protect banded rail and other bird species in the mangroves. We were pleased to hear recently that during regular monitoring by Council their contractors found no signs of rats our target species.
However, we know that it's only a matter of time before the rats will reinvade, so this has to be an ongoing project.