In a Trust meeting this week, one of the participants noted that she preferred ecological research proposals where the methods did not harm animals. She definitely preferred investigation of DNA from soils to establish the ecosystems present, over a proposal to investigate the effects of climate change-induced heat waves through experimentally heating invertebrates. A discussionContinue reading “Some animals are more equal than others”
Author Archives: janecshearer
Wastewater woes
Testing of wastewater for COVID-19 has become a routine method for identifying spread of the virus. I was pondering on the challenges of sampling the very large amounts of wastewater that are produced in New Zealand – 1.5B litres per day which is managed through around 320 wastewater treatment plants. From this we need manageableContinue reading “Wastewater woes”
Sublime to ridiculous
In a week I feel I have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous – from fantastic mountain views and solitude to being a participant in an opaque traffic light system. Based on the cartoons and media commentary yesterday, I appeared to be in good company thinking “Huh, what?” as our COVID traffic light systemContinue reading “Sublime to ridiculous”
Did it again
I have taken to heart my own message of doing more of what I love, which includes tramping. So this week I took myself off for 3 nights in the back country in South Westland on the basis of an excellent forecast, a rare thing in a South Westland spring. I have rarely felt moreContinue reading “Did it again”
Sting in the tail
Sarah is in New Zealand MIQ, enjoying the hospitality of the New Zealand government and the selection of meals at the Grand Mercure in Auckland. So we sent her pictures of us going for a mountain bike ride and having lunch in Arrowtown – we are very kind, I know. Sarah said she liked Chris’sContinue reading “Sting in the tail”
Migrant misery
We have been watching a TVNZ mini-series called The Panthers, which brings up unpleasant parallels with New Zealand’s COVID immigration situation. The Panthers were a group formed in 1971 to stand up for the rights of Pacific Islanders and Māori. They raised consciousness and supported community wellbeing in response to significant racial discrimination, prejudice andContinue reading “Migrant misery”
What to believe
We were pretty darn lucky this week and had a beautiful day heli-skiing in the vicinity of Mt Cook with friends Nic and Andy. I wasn’t sure whether to mention this and share pictures with people in other parts of New Zealand as, if I was in Auckland, I am not sure I would wantContinue reading “What to believe”
Did It
I thought I had better take my own words to heart and get out there. During lockdown I thought about what I wanted to do that I hadn’t been doing. The answer was, spend time in the backcountry. Even more specifically, my answer was spend time in the backcountry by myself. When I told myContinue reading “Did It”
Wrong strategy already?!
When you get to Alert Level 2 you go do things that you couldn’t previously. Who knows how long you will be in Level 2? Therefore we headed to Wanaka on Wednesday to have dinner and go cycling with friends. We were hoping to ski but the weather gods took away the promised snow andContinue reading “Wrong strategy already?!”
Do It Now
There’s nothing like unexpected lockdowns to make you think that you should do what you can, when you can do it. Is there someone you haven’t seen lately? Give them a call or, far better, go visit them. You don’t know when a lockdown might get in the way. Want to spend some time inContinue reading “Do It Now”