What's next for McNulty Inlet

​At the start of October, work began on the first planting for the Lake Dunstan Charitable Trust Jobs for Nature project, Bridge to Bridge. Using extensive ecological advice provided by e3scientific, our contractors, Te Tapu o Tāne, started works in McNulty Inlet to support the reintroduction of 10,000 native plants. Prior to planting, the site was cleared of weeds, tilled, tonnes of healthy soil and fertiliser was added and holes pre-dug ready for an incredible community planting event. In just three days, over 200 local community members and businesses come together and planted all 10,000 native trees and shrubs to transform the hillside. The next steps to complete this site will be undertaken in the coming weeks to ensure the best success rate for the plants.

With any planting project, whether in a dry Central Otago site such as McNulty Inlet or your own back garden, some losses are expected. To combat this, further topsoil, mulch, water crystals, a high-quality irrigation system, and rabbit fencing will be installed. A new and improved footpath will also be created to allow the community to visit, explore and enjoy the newly established habitat and wildlife it will attract. Separate to this, weed clearing will also be undertaken between Deadman’s Bridge and Lowburn Bridge to control their spread and increase safety and access to the lake.
 
Over the summer these plants will adjust to the local climate & soil and start growing into the beautiful shrubland it will eventually become. Next autumn will see the Te Tapu o Tāne crew undertake further site maintenance and an infill planting regime to replace any losses and add more plants to the site. Another 40-50,000 native plants are yet to be reintroduced along Lake Dunstan over the next two years as the trust works to create a shoreline the local community and wildlife deserve. ​