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? Facebook- a necessary piece of narcissism
? Repairs keep balls rolling
? Seafaring geckos exiled to safe haven
? Another Dunne deal for Ohariu?s Perennial MP
? Petone pre-season training brings back the biff
? Fond memories and Petone connections
? The Whinging Pom ?Let them know you care?
? Enthusiasm for athletics
? Exide shut downs affect survey results
? We shall remember them
? ?We?re still on cloud nine.?
? Eastbourne?s interclub roll halted
? New emergency water tanks for Alicetown
? More work needed on economic relationship
? One coffee- old the gang patch, please
? Kiwis urged to be cautious near water this summer
? Gold for Gould

Seafaring geckos exiled to safe haven by local schoolchildren
By Tim O?Connell

The population of Somes Island grew by fifteen on Friday, as some rare green geckos took a short boat ride to survival, with the help of some local school children. Some of the travellers on the ferry to Somes Island on November 14 may have been looking a bit green after the trip across the harbour but for some of the smaller creatures on board it was completely natural.? After leaving from Queen?s Wharf on Friday morning, staff from the Poneke-area Department of Conservation arrived on Somes Island for the release of the geckos to their new home. The new arrivals on the iconic Wellington islet were accompanied by sixteen children from eight primary schools from the greater Wellington region who were helping release them. Due to the decline in numbers efforts had been made to create safe havens for the geckos, combat loss of habitat and remove the threat of predators such as rats, cats and hedgehogs. DOC staff began the translocation of green geckos to the sanctuary on Somes Island in 2006, after initially keeping some at the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. ?Establishing a safe population on Matiu will help ensure survival,? said DOC biodiversity ranger Brent Tandy. Department of Conservation staff on the island will then seek to monitor them in their new, self-sustaining environment. Local lizard breeders have also been involved in the programme to create a genetically diverse supply of geckos, ready for release onto the island at two-years-old. Wellingtonians are asked to lookout for other green geckos in their gardens and in forested areas throughout the region and report any sightings to DOC. These small lizards are identifiable by their distinctive bright green colour, and are often marked by two rows of yellow cream to white blotches, and a blue tongue. Mr Tandy says there are measures which people can take to offer protection to the geckos from predators. Complex shrubs such as matagouri and speargrass offer good refuge from any threat, so do clump-forming plants like flax, cabbage trees and tussock.?

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