EWT - Volunteers required - Amphibian Reptile and Small Mammal Mitigation Proje

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DouglasN

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EWT -Amphibian Reptile and Small Mammal Mitigation Project

We have an opportunity to get really involved with this project at the moment.

The EWT is looking for volunteers to help install some fencing that will be used to direct smaller animals towards the culverts that go under the road. The effectiveness of these fences will be studdied over a period of a month and then the fences will be removed.

I have the full project motivation document as presented to The De Beers Group of companies, pls pm me your email addy if you would like it, the 2 pdf's together are 4mb in size and i cannot attach them here.

Her current timing is that she would like the fences installed over the weekend of 31Jan/1 Feb and then removed 21/22 Feb.

She has a place for us to camp, I am still waiting for confirmation of GPS co-ords and I suspect we will need to be self sufficient in this regard. Apparently there will be toilets though. it's a 600km drive from Jhb.

The info I have with regards the scope of work at the moment is as such:

"Fencing will be 70 cm in height at a 45° angle to prevent species from hopping / jumping over the fence onto the road. In addition, 30cm of the fence will be buried beneath the ground to provide more stability, and lessen potential theft. Metal stakes (every 10m) will hold the fence in place.

Placement of the fence will be randomly selected across four 250 m sections over a 2 km distance (within the identified hotspot; Table 1). This will allow for further monitoring of mitigated and unmitigated sections within the hotspot. Signage alerting drivers to ‘Entering a Roadkill Hotspot’ will also be erected on the roadside."


so very basically....

weekend 1 - dig 4 of 30cmx250m trenches, plant metal stakes every 10m at an angle. attach fence to stakes, close up trench to cover buried fence. Erect “Hotspot” signs at entrance and exit of work area.

Weekend 2 – remove stakes and fencing.

The fencing will be something similar to that which is shown in the attached pic.


I reckon we will need a few hands on this one and most probably some equipment like small trenchers like the one we used at the vulture centre.

The poles wont be an issue, they are mostly droppers and the fencing is not heavy metal from what I have been told. the hard work is the trench to bury the bottom of the fence.

So who is keen?

This will be a combined 4x4/bike event as we will need a number of hands here.
 

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