RDWT also funds part of Project Hollyford Face on the Routeburn Track. Evan Smith, one of the MacKenzie hut wardens, has been giving inspiring hut talks about predator control for many years and using any money raised to extend the network of traps on the track.

In the November survey we counted 71 wrybill on the Dart River.

We now have the report from the bird count/survey. We will repeat it in 2018 and 2019.

With the help of contractors Mike and Pat from WMIL (Wildlife Management International Limited) the RDWT held its first braided river bird survey over the weekend. We had great weather and willing volunteers and met our goal of walking approximately 20 km stretches of both the Rees and the Dart rivers, finishing at the delta.

We are delighted to announce that Russell Varcoe from Glenorchy, has won the contract to help us with the set up phase of the Braided Rivers project. We had many high quality applicants. We are currently finalising the contract and a timetable for this crucially important phase of our project. We look forward to working with Russell in the weeks and months ahead.

Eiji Kitai, a Greenstone Track hut warden from Queenstown, is spending four months this summer walking the Te Araroa Trail enjoying the environment, meeting new people and spreading the word about the projects of the Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust.

We are delighted to announce that Real Journeys has chosen the Trust to be one of two recipients of money from their annual winter ball, which will be in August at Walter's Peak. This is excellent and exciting news. Thank you Real Journeys.