Air Force Cadets serve side-by-side with visiting youth

NIGEL MUIR

Along with Michelle Clark, the author is co-founder of Wild Waikawa, an ongoing conservation project on Boons Valley headlands in Picton.

There was a nature force at Wild Waikawa last Saturday – an Air Force to be precise.

Fifty keen New Zealand Air Force Cadets marched onto the 200-hectare wildlife sanctuary bringing with them zesty youth horsepower as part of a Woodbourne Air Base’s Community Service Day.

The cadets were put hard to work by Nigel & Mish at Wild Waikawa helping clear gorse, weed release native plantings, building trail, mower maintenance, nursery work and native planting.

They are an extraordinary bunch. So keen, polite and capable. They are wonderful individuals and demonstrate the high quality of representatives we have right now in our New Zealand Air Force.

Alongside the mahi, the cadets got a chance to work shoulder-to-shoulder with visiting young volunteers from all around the world as well as local youth.  They also got to experience several beautifully restored Land Rovers thanks to Wild Waikawa sponsor Rob Neal from Seafarer Marine.

Wild Waikawa is an award-winning conservation project.  It is a Significant Natural Area and has grown and placed almost 18,000 native plants, removed 18,600 wilding pines and removed more than 6,000 pests.

It’s remarkable to see how nature is bouncing back. The bird song is now three-fold. Our environment responds so quickly when we choose to nurture her.