In 2018, Sally and David R created the first official 2019 conservation calendar, boosting awareness and raising valuable funding.
On 14 January 2019, Sarah Cull-Luketina’s film screening of Battling Extinction about the endemic long tailed bats (Pekapeka-tou-roa) drew 45 attendees, raising awareness for local conservation.
From 24 January to 8 February, a ferret incursion led to 17 ferrets trapped, reinforcing the need for strong predator control. A bird count with audio recordings also launched, improving native bird tracking.
The sponsored trap initiative, first introduced by Derek and Ann Percy in 2012, expanded. Labelled traps inspired more sponsorships at $100 per trap, keeping pest control efforts strong.
On 1 July, Lois Alison-Couper led a Fungi Foray, exploring the reserve’s fungal biodiversity. Around the same time, Carl Flintoff sharpened a chainsaw for free, supporting conservation work.
Throughout the year, volunteers worked on track maintenance, repairing steps on the Tawa Line. Three new traps strengthened predator control. Camera monitoring trials tracked walker numbers, improving visitor engagement analysis.
In November, John Martin’s Whio video went live on YouTube, spreading awareness of blue duck conservation. Predator tracking data showed low pest numbers, proving effective pest control.
Later in the year, Mahi Aroha, a Project Tongariro and DOC collaboration, led multiple conservation efforts, ending with a bat conservation project.