A Film About An Ecosanctuary?

Hi again, You. Well the race is on to find the subject of our films. My classmate, Alastair Jamieson, and I went out this week to meet Elton Smith, the newly hired Operations Manager of Orokonui Ecosanctuary. Elton is an affable, sharp-as-a-tack fellow. When you meet him, you soon realize he’s the perfect person for this job. His experience with the Department of Conservation in biodiversity and species recovery work, as well as his stints as a Nature Guide in ecotourism industry, make him a rare combination of a science and marketing whiz. He was kind enough to give us a tour of part of his new domain. It is 230 times bigger than the Wildlife Reserve my family established, and I thought THAT was a full time job! You need gumboots out at Orokanui, it’s pretty mushy in some areas. I was unprepared, but Alastair is an old hand at this stuff. He should be. As a photographer and writer for New Zealand Geographic he’s often in hostile territory. Thank goodness Alastair was at the helm, because as an ecologist, he knew all the right questions to ask Elton. I had the privilege of basking in their eco-glow. And spot possum poo. Elton’s in control of the physical development of the ecosanctuary, for example, the creation of walking tracks and wetlands, the development of visitor facilities, as well as pest eradication (with the help of his trusty dog!). We talked at length about his plans for ecosanctuary volunteers. It’s a tough thing finding reliable volunteers that commit to such an ambitious, large project. But it’s important that people from the community invest their time and energy in the ecosanctuary, so that they feel a measure of ownership for this special place. It’s too big a job for Elton to undertake without his green army! There are big plans to reintroduce endemic species such as Tuatara and Kiwi in the ecosanctuary. Is there a film to make here? You bet. But it may be a process film that would need 2-3 years of shooting to do it justice, to record Elton’s trials and tribulations and watch the story of this beautiful place unfold.