One of the founding objectives of the Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation Trust (LHCFT) is to assist people of all ages to attend outdoor education programs and experiences, especially those who might not otherwise be able to afford this.  The LHCF, therefore, gives a yearly grant to the Southland Secondary Principals Association to administer on the Trust’s behalf. 

Outdoor education programs can involve a lot of specialist equipment and support, and therefore can be expensive. But staff notice that the students gain so much self-confidence and maturity by being involved in the programs that they run.  The grant from the LHCFT ensures that financial hardship is not a barrier to Southland secondary students' involvement in outdoor education.

Deep Cove Outdoor Education Deep Cove/Taipaririki is an arm of Pātea/Doubtful Sound and is the starting point for many land and sea based adventures.  In 1971, the Deep Cove Outdoor Education Trust (DCOET) was established to promote and educate tourists and school aged children on the importance of conservation and environmentally friendly practices in the remote Fiordland National Park.  The DCOET runs a hostel and welcomes schools from across the country to this beautiful place. 

The Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation Trust partnered with Real Journeys to provide the services of professional nature guides who spend two days delivering  conservation education to school groups.  The nature guides have a wealth of experience to share with groups, answering endless questions and supporting the school’s program.  This is free to schools, and deepens the experience that groups have while on camp.

In between Bluff and Invercargill, the small village of Omaui sits next to two reserves, one administered by the Invercargill City Council and the other by DOC, that are remnants of the lowland coastal forests that once covered the area.  There are large rātā, some up to 800 years old, rimu, totara, birds, invertebrates and native lizards.  Visitors are able to enjoy the reserves with a walking track forming a popular loop walk through the bush. 

The Omaui Landcare Charitable Trust (OLCT) has been trapping introduced mammalian predators in the reserves since 2013 in an effort to protect the bush.  In 2016, they received a grant from the Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation Trust to help them in this work.  The OLCT is run by volunteers who spent many hours walking trap lines and re-setting traps.  The grant from the LHCFT allowed the OLCT to buy replacement lures and gas cylinders for the re-settable trap network that they had just established.  These traps need fewer volunteer hours to run, and free up the Trust for other jobs on the reserves such as monitoring introduced predators, bird counts and just enjoying being on the reserves. 

The bush takes time to recover from the effects of introduced predators, but the signs are encouraging.  In 2020, the OLCT volunteers are still trapping, but are also seeing large flocks of kereru and hearing groups of red-crowned kākāriki chattering to each other.

The deep, cold water in Fiordland’s fiords is home to all types of creatures. We would recognise the dolphins and seals, but we know much less about some of the other creatures living there.  Sponges are animals that spend their whole lives attached to hard surfaces and play an essential part in the fiord’s water quality and forming habitats for other creatures.

However, all might not be well with Fiordland’s sponges. Researchers were recently shocked to find many bleached sponges – animals that were usually a soft brown colour were a stark, bright, white.  James Bell, a sponge expert from Victoria University, Wellington, sought support from the Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation to do urgent follow-up research to learn more about this sponge bleaching event. 

Funds from the LHCF allowed James and his team to work out that the bleached sponges are still alive but are not doing well. It allowed them to explore whether unusually high seawater temperatures are causing stress for the sponges and whether the beached sponges were more likely to be eaten by fish.  They were also able to get samples of the sponges to take back to the lab to do further research. This important research is ongoing, and the LHCF is delighted to have been able to help out.

The Fiordland Trails Trust’s plans to complete the Lake2Lake Trail have been given a boost,
thanks to the Les Hutchins Conservation Foundation. The Lake2Lake Trail runs from Te Anau to Manapouri; the majority of the 28km being off-road. However, to complete the full trail, currently users must travel on the State Highway for 4km.
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The Fiordland Trails Trust has put forward plans to complete the trail, creating an off-road
section between Supply Bay Road and Balloon Loop. Before the plans to connect the trail can
move forward, an ecological assessment is required to outline any ecological impact of the
proposed new section of track.
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The Les Hutchins Conservation Foundation, a foundation set up to support both nature-based
programmes and conservation, has supported FTT with a $15,000 grant towards the ecological
assessment. Fiordland Trails Trust Chair David Boniface says the grant is a huge boost to the Trust’s work to
progress the trail completion.
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“The Trust is very aware of our obligations of looking after the environment that makes the
Lake2Lake Trail so special, and the ecological assessment is an important step for us as we
seek to obtain a resource consent and to complete the trail,” he says. “This important work is not inexpensive, so the support of the Les Hutchins Conservation Foundation is both immensely valuable and genuinely appreciated. While we are still seeking further funding for this work, this is a fantastic boost and we are
really excited about progressing with the report.”

The Lake2Lake Trail, in its current form, attracts tens of thousands of bikers, runners, walkers and other trail users annually. The Fiordland Trails Trust is confident that completing the trail will only add to that, and support positive environmental, social, and economic impacts, improving safety and an enhanced user experience of moving users away from the road for the Fiordland
area.

"We are thrilled that Wānaka Backyard Trapping has received generous funding and support from the Les Hutchins Conservation Fund. With this support, we can expand our efforts to reduce predator numbers and help us deliver on our mission to protect and restore the native biodiversity of our beautiful region.

Parts of the South Island, including Wānaka, are being overrun with predators, and we urgently need to reduce the numbers. We now have well over 100 volunteers managing 900 traps, often hiking long distances through thick bush, up steep mountains, and in blazing sun or freezing conditions to help create a safe environment for our wildlife. This funding will enable us to add additional trap lines to enhance our trapping network.

We are deeply grateful to LHCF for their commitment to conservation and their belief in our vision. Thank you for standing with us." Wānaka Backyard Trapping

The Whakatipu Wildlife Trust partners with local communities to protect and enhance native biodiversity in the areas we live, work, and play.

"We are deeply grateful to receive a Leslie Hutchins Conservation Fund grant, which will support the expansion of our AT220 self-resetting possum and rodent trap network.

With guidance from Southern Lakes Sanctuary, we are rolling out these innovative traps on our community-led traplines to further the Predator Free 2050 mission.

The AT220 traps have significantly boosted our possum removal efforts, easing the burden on volunteers and increasing catch rates. By removing multiple possums each night, we give our native flora and fauna a greater chance to thrive.

Thank you, LHCF, for your invaluable support in working toward a predator-free Whakatipu."