In the very early dawn light, a small convoy of vehicles headed into the Reserve. They were on a mission to attempt the first drone flight, not for photos but to help control the moth plant.
To those of you who know the geology of Bream Head Te Whara Reserve you will realise there are many steep cliff faces and drop offs. Ideal places for invasive weeds to take root and flourish as it is almost impossible for our volunteers and rangers to get there to try to control them. One of the steepest areas is the cliff face along from Ocean Beach which faces some of our most precious offshore islands. So, the burgeoning moth plant problem is a real concern here, as the seeds can blow directly to those islands.
Getting to the stage of using a drone had not been an easy or a fast process. The Department of Conservation has been rigorous in their approval process because although drone technology is becoming more common in agriculture, there is little evidence of it being used for conservation.
Mahi Drones were willing to spray the moth plant but without the aid of close Reserve neighbours Rupert and Wendy Newbold who gave vehicle access and a water supply, it could not have happened.
The very early morning start was essential as the drone needed to complete the task before the sea breeze began and before visitors began walking the track. The flying crew sprayed some of the area using a pre-determined computer mapping programme while the rest was done manually. Here the drone operator needed to be in a position where they could see the flowering moth plant and the drone. For anyone who has manually used a heavy spray back pack, it was a joy to see the drone lift a 50 litre payload and directly hit a moth plant with spray. The chemicals were carefully used just to target the weed.
Using the drone effectively, also meant making sure its use was precisely timed to when the moth plant flowers were most visible and before any pods had begun to develop. Rechecking the site recently has shown no sign of pods with the vines themselves dying off.
The success of this first operation will determine if further use of targeted drone weed spraying is undertaken in the Reserve.
The results look most promising!