Boy springs into action to save the birds | Auckland News | Local News in Auckland

Jett Gannaway has undertaken plenty of projects in his nine years of life. He proudly presents an assignment given to him for his Year 5 homework, in which he had to undertake about 10 of the given challenges. Jett did 23.

Another project was to design a new field playground for his school. His idea was so good, he ended up working with an architect on it, and the playground garden has now been built. Not surprisingly, Jett wants to be an architect. He spends time creating 3D models on the computer - right now he's designing a house he says uses similar principles to that used for the Cloud on Auckland's waterfront.

His creativity isn't confined to the computer. In the yard of the family home is a large wooden construction that he describes as an extension to the deck. He's built the seesaw-like platform himself, with the fulcrum perfectly positioned and the platform weighted so that he can stand on one end and not tip off. There's a rope to hang on to, attached to a tree above, just in case.

"The rope can hold 300kg," he explains.

But his proudest project was something quite different. Jett's a regular visitor to Western Springs Park in summer and had noticed some of the geese in the lake had malformed wings and were unwell. He didn't know why, but asked his mother Geraldine to find out.

"I thought, 'That shouldn't be like that' and so I got mum to ring up the council to find out about it," he says. She was told the deformities were caused by avian botulism, which increases when bread is thrown into the water by well-meaning visitors to feed the geese, swans and ducks.

When Jett was told about the cause he decided to do something about it. He wrote a letter to the old Auckland City Council expressing his wish for signs to be erected to tell people not to feed the birds in the water because of the impact it had on the geese.

"It paralyses their wings," he explains. "It's not very pretty when you see them. I've seen about 20 of them with it, but there would probably be more in other parts of the park."

The council took on board his concerns.

"They put up some laminated signs stuck on with duct tape," he says. "They said they were just temporary and they were going to put up bigger signs. But they didn't.

"Then the super-city council came in and I saw an advertisement for Mayor in the Chair."

The Mayor in the Chair sessions are held regularly all over Auckland, and anyone can meet Mayor Len Brown to share their thoughts with him. "I told Mum I wanted to do that, so I skipped class."

That in itself signalled the youngster's determination. The avid learner is not one for skiving school.

"I haven't missed a day of school for three years straight. But I got permission ... and I still got the attendance prize this year," he announces proudly.

His time talking to the mayor, on August 30, was well spent. "I said, 'Look, this isn't good about the geese, and you need to do something about it'. I said it was an issue that was concerning me.

"I think I was the very first child to go and talk to the mayor. I think he really liked it."

Jett wasn't actually the first child, but others have come as part of school groups.

Jett suggested that any new signs that went up needed to be clear, and in other languages so all people visiting the park could understand why it was important not to feed the birds in the water.

Shale Chambers, chair of the Waitemata Local Board, was at the meeting and also spoke to Jett.

"Jett came across as a most impressive and determined young man," says Mr Chambers. "The fact that he had brought the issue directly to the mayor was in itself impressive - not many boys his age would feel so confident."

Mr Chambers says what was even more impressive was that Jett had a solution.

"He clearly knew the effects of botulism at the Springs lake, and its causes. Unlike many who present issues he had a solution. He identified the lack of adequate educative and warning signage. I came away thinking, 'We can do that'. "I have four children, mostly grown now, but we spent many hours at Western Springs feeding the ducks. I knew little of this issue in those days - the 80s and early 90s - so Jett's clearly articulated concern for it really struck a chord with me."

Jett was delighted to receive an email in November to say new signs had been approved.

"The council said they were going to put up pictogram signs so everyone can understand them," Jett says.

The local board approved $3000 for the signs, which funded the design and placement of 11 signs with four spare. The signs were erected just before Christmas, attached to rubbish bins lakeside. Jett went along to survey them and met the mayor again. "I'm very happy with the signs," Jett says. "The day the signs went up was a pretty good day. We found some infected geese to show the mayor. He's quite nice.

"There was a swan in the photo that kept posing too, that was funny!"

He thinks maybe there should be a few more signs closer to the lake, but it's a step in the right direction. I'm very proud of it."

Asked what his next project is, he says he was asked the same question by the architect who oversaw his playground project at his school. "Not sure," he says thoughtfully.

"I really want to go and see that architect Pete Bossley in Ponsonby. I'm going to give him a call one day."

Then he heads to the office to add a few 3D components to his house creation. I mention the software he's using could be handy for me to design a little garden at my home.

"Yes, it could," he says excitedly, and clicks to show me numerous variations I could choose before advising me which I should go with.

I almost feel like I should have paid for the advice given during my time with him. I'm picking one day somebody will.

So what's killing the birds?
David Barker from the Auckland Council says avian botulism occurs in ponds and sometimes streams around the city (eg Auckland Domain duck ponds, Orakei Creek, Tahuna Torea) during long periods of hot and calm weather, particularly when rainfall levels have been low.

"Outbreaks occur at Western Springs on an annual basis but the severity of any outbreak varies from year to year.

"Last year the problem was small but the year before that, the fatality rate among the duck population at Western Springs was high," Mr Barker says.

The botulism toxin - which is not harmful to humans - is caused when high levels of organic matter are present in water, when water temperatures plus Ph levels are high and when water movement/circulation is low. The main source of organic material in water is leaf litter, aquatic weed and algae, plus invertebrate or vertebrate carcasses. However, bread thrown into the lake - and not eaten by the ducks and other birds - adds to the lake's "organic loading" and therefore makes for favourable conditions for the botulism bacterium.

"The botulism paralyses the bird, making it unable to use its wings and legs normally or control the eyelid and neck muscles. A limp neck on the duck is therefore a fairly good indicator that it is suffering from botulism," says Mr Barker.

At Western Springs, the park's maintenance contractor removes affected birds from the lake, keeps them in a sheltered place in the depot and ensures they are fed and hydrated. The problem affects ducks, swans, geese and other waterfowl.

"The benefits of the new signage are therefore two-fold," Mr Barker says. "It will help reduce or at least help manage proactively (but not eradicate) the level of avian botulism that occurs at Western Springs and at the same time make park patrons aware that bread is not good for the bird's diet and that grain is a healthier alternative."

What is Mayor in the Chair?
Mayor in the Chair sessions are held around Auckland (Jett's meeting pictured). Information about this year's locations will be on the Auckland Council website in a few weeks. The first  session for 2012 is at Wellsford (main street) on Monday, February 13.