Cromwell & Districts Community Trust

31/08/2026

It's again! We're loving seeing all the DIY TRACKING TUNNELS popping up around the Cromwell Basin! It's fantastic to see people getting involved and becoming citizen scientists. This week's top tip comes courtesy of ... the weather!

Some of our homemade tunnels have been made from cardboard. They're a great way to get started, but after a few wet days they can quickly turn into soggy paper mush!

If you're making a tunnel that will stay outside for a while, try using corflute or even a split plastic bottle with a small wooden floor. They'll stand up to the rain and keep your tracking cards dry, giving you much clearer footprints.
WE'D LOVE TO SEE YOUR DIY CREATIONS!
Tag us in a photo - we're always looking for clever ideas to inspire others. You might even feature in a future post!
And the first day of Spring is the perfect day to shift your tunnel position, or swap out your peanut butter lure for jam.
Happy tracking team!

26/08/2026

Have you had your say on our Cromwell Community Plan? Complete the short survey on our website. Every opinion, every voice counts. Go to: https://www.cdctrust.nz/community-plan-survey-form

26/08/2026

Are you part of Tracker Tuesdays?

It's again! Thanks to all our amazing trackers out there. We had a couple of questions about some prints that are rounder than mice or rats from the Cromwell township area. The image above is from a DIY tracking tunnel - it's bigger than the commercial ones, so the prints we have in this image are easier to identify. Adult hedgehogs won't squeeze in to the smaller tracking tunnels!
We've cropped in so you can clearly see the hedgehog prints in this photo - and how they differ from rats and mice.
And the results this week? Two hedgehogs, plus the usual rats and mice from the township area. Rats and mice from everyone else. If you didn't get prints, it doesn't mean you haven't got anything there - they may just be a little wary. Check out our website at https://www.cdctrust.nz/predator-free-cromwell for hints on tunnel placement. Well done to everyone who gave us tracking information this week.

18/08/2026

Tracker Tuesdays needs our whole community behind it. Let’s all do our bit to help our native birds thrive here!

It's TRACKER TUESDAY! This week’s featured photo is from Cromwell Keas. Welcome to the very first update from around the Cromwell Basin! Every set of footprints and every chew mark tells a story, and together we're building a picture of the wildlife and predator species living in our backyards. This information helps us put the right trap in the right place and measure how our collective community efforts are making a difference over time.
This week you've recorded mostly mouse tracks, followed closely by rats, and even one hedgehog!
Did you guess who the tiny footprints belong to? Mouse prints look very similar to rat prints, but they're much smaller. In fact, the footprints of even a very young rat would be around twice the size of those left by an adult mouse.
Look closely and you'll notice some tracks show only three toes. Mouse prints can be surprisingly tricky to spot, especially when mixed with other footprints - but our Cromwell Keas did a fantastic job spotting these!
Have you checked your tracking tunnel or chew card this week? We'd love to see what you've discovered. Interested in joining Tracker Tuesdays? Just message us or check out the info on our website. Every photo and every footprint helps us learn more about our local wildlife.
Send us your photos and results, and you might feature in next week's !
Together, we're becoming citizen scientists - one footprint at a time.

18/06/2026

We're going to be there! Come along and find out about all the wonderful groups there are in this community.

06/05/2026

This interesting article features our very own community group - Predator Free Cromwell

Killing pests helps restore the environment but it is also having a positive social impact as more communities embrace the backyard trapping boom