End of Project: Sound Lure [Focus on Stoats]

We are officially ending the sound lure project which began in 2019, later this month.   

The two main phases or focusses of the project involved using sound lures to target mustelids in South Taranaki creating a working, solar powered sound lure to do so.   

The 2019 project began with a focus from a group of school children working with adults hence the association with Auroa Primary School.   You can view the media/reports associated with this project by clicking on the link to this subpage linked on this blog.

This blog was used as a means of recording the project and using it as a base to share finding and information.   It became more of a working document and as the author the blog I felt that it was important to make some decisions about the project and resolve its future.

I have stressed from the outset and made clear that this project is very much a passion project that I am not nor have ever been a full time researcher or scientist.  I have been working with some amazing people (Andrew Hornblow from Opunake) for a number of years to give a group of students a powerful and authentic experience in learning.   Some of the information and research that I have created and produced needs to be put into this context and it is for others to assist with testing to ensure that it is authentic.  I have had my own experiences and evidence but I would rather put this to others to validate.

There have been some external organisations that I cannot say enough positive things about working with and helping develop the project and the technology develop further and it would not have been possible without the likes of Project Mounga, Feral Control, DOC and the Taranaki Regional Council.

April 2022: 

The material shown in the box is two lures, which have been used as part of the stoat network on Mt Taranaki which have been in place for a calendar year, which were returned in March 2022.   

There have also been deployments locally by a professional pest removal company in a trial funded by Fonterra and year long deployments at other significant locations including New Plymouth Airport which started in June 2020.

We had units deployed in McKenzie Country in the South Island which showed the unit could operate and continue to work in temperatures below freezing.

We have decided to wind this trial up as well and call in all units.    The project in 2020 very much spent time focussing on brush tailed possums as a result of the focus needed for the Curious Minds Project and the 123 Tech Challenge.  Ultimately this was the right decision because this project would have not continued for as long as it has without the support from the Curious Minds/Venture Taranaki funding and the students ultimately ended up being the New Zealand digital technology innovation champions.

I would like to acknowledge the support of DOC and Barry (who is responsible for monitoring the line) to allowing us the opportunity to test at this location.

The sound units in question have generally survived in conditions that include a full winter.   One of two units survived on the mountain and the third unit shown in the box is the sole surviving unit from the original five that were constructed in 2019.   It is still operating as intended, that is continuing to charge via solar power and continuing to operate with a clear audio call.   While we have had to change the external features several times (the speakers, the bolts connecting the units) the internal features of the unit have maintained its integrity - that is including the computer, the battery and the external wiring.  This has included having the unit deliberately exposed to the elements for three continuous years including two full winters.   The unit spent some of the first year inside a DOC 200 however it has also spent extended time wired to the back of a Timms trap and was at one point dragged into a river as part of a capture (by a possum).

There has been limited evidence of stoat captures when the unit has been in use.   This has occurred at two seperate locations within short time frames followed by extended periods of non capture.  We have come to the conclusion that the units are too loud with their output and this has potentially been a deterrent to target species in the area.   Ideally we would like to have had clear evidence of successful strikes at multiple locations but this has not been the case.

Moving forward the project is not ending as such - although the funding has ceased and it is going to take place at a much slower, unofficial pace, unless there is a significant change.

Crucially while we are not being funded externally we have made progress and connections with professional organisations and we are attempting to arrange for professionals to determine an optimum sound range for the target species (stoats).   

Much of the material that was purchased for the project still remains and is working two years later.

We are going to redeploy a range of units locally using this new reduced noise range and also introduce a motor to each of the units.   The motor is going to introduce movement, with which we hope to draw attention to a mechanical trap that the unit will be placed in conjunction with.   We have already prototyped this idea and created units to run in conjunction with the motor and the sound, but again we consider the sound level at present too loud for the traps.

This deployment will begin in 2022 with a mind to targeting the stoat population in the spring of 2022.   We know that there is a clear stoat population locally however this population has been the target of extensive trapping and is cunning and avoiding many of the traps that are in place for them.    

To put this in context I know that there are stoats operating in my area where I live (I am living rurally in South Taranaki) I have personally seen a stoat prowling in the area within the last twelve months, as has my immediate neighbour (in an identical location months apart).   I also know there are Ferrets that are operating locally.   Consequently there has been a DOC 200 set with salted rabbit for over two years - and while there have been a number of strikes on this unit by large rats I have yet to catch a stoat.

It goes without saying that the frequency of these posts will lessen now the project has officially ended however I can always be contacted via this blog as required.  I also have the contact information for Andrew who has been an inspirational part of the project and responsible for the electronics.

It would be remiss of me if I did not end this post by thanking everyone that has contributed to this project in the past three years.  I would be mortified if I missed anyone out, however I would like to make sure that Andrew Hornblow, Tim Sojoberg in particular are thanks as without them the project would not have started.  I would like to also acknowledge anyone else who has helped, in the many different ways.  

While this may well be the end of the project I feel that something positive has been created as a result.  A working sound lure that is capable of being deployed long term has been made, tested and is viable.  That technology and resource is available to anyone who would like to use it.   

It has been a considerable amount of work at times, times when I have made the work in conjunction with my other full time responsibilities and there have been times when I feel I haven't been able to do the project justice - I also have been challenged at times by some of the full time professionals that I have been working with to approach it more from a scientific perspective but as I have mentioned I am not a scientist or someone who is able to devote themselves to the project on a full time basis.

Thank you to everyone who has visited this blog and whether we have been in contact or not I have appreciated the input direct or not.    Goodbye.