Snowden's Bush Trust

A donation by Talley’s has today brought Snowden’s Bush Trust a significant step closer to purchasing land to grow and preserve one of the last surviving native lowland bush areas in the Waimea Plains.

The donation by Talley’s pushed the charity’s fundraising efforts over the halfway mark. The Trust’s $350,000 target will enable the purchase of 3,500m² of land from the Nelson Diocesan Trust, an area that current fronts the Reserve.

Once purchased, the land will be gifted to the Department of Conservation, custodian of Snowden’s Bush, to be formally integrated into the Reserve’s 50,000m², ensuring its environmental and heritage conservation, and the recreational enjoyment of future generations.

At the unveiling of a new fundraising milestone sign today, supporters talked about the importance of Snowden’s Bush as a community asset for Tasman, given it is one of the last surviving native lowland bush

areas of the Waimea Plains. A regeneration project begun in 1988 has seen the return of tui, bellbirds and kereru to the community. The trees are also a seed source for local nurseries, and both the old and regenerating bush provide natural habitats for precious native wildlife.

Lorelle Puklowski from Talley’s said the company supported the project to increase the accessibility to local bush walks and the ‘halo effect’ of native birds.

“The bush here is full of totara, titoki and matai trees, some of which are several hundred years old, it is beautiful,” Puklowski said. “I actually live locally, so love the fact that we can walk into the bush so easily, and we have more native birds in our area thanks to the regeneration project. It is a beautiful and important part of our neighbourhood.”

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