To celebrate World Environment Day, Mary Porter joined over 170 Greening Australia volunteers to plant more than 4250 young trees in the Lower Cotter Catchment. Since January this year volunteers have now planted over 16,000 new trees and since 2003 over 100,000 trees have been planted.
Greening Australia is driving a massive restoration effort in the Lower Cotter Catchment after the entire catchment area was devastated by the firestorm.
Thousands of community volunteers have helped to carry-out land stabilisation and erosion control works, helping to stabilise the soils that were left exposed from the high intensity fire.
Revegetation with native trees is augmenting the natural regeneration.
Partners in the project are the ACT Government, the Rivers and Molonglo Bushfire Brigades and Cafe Brindabella. Skye Palmer, the cafe's proprietor, has donated over $55,000 towards Greening Australia's work over the last 3 years through a levy she imposed on her patrons' takeaway coffee cups.
"I have been working as a Greening Australia volunteer for many years now and have worked on projects such as seed proliferation and pruning wildlings as well as being regularly involved in plantings," Mary commented.
"We often talk a lot in the Legislative Assembly about the environment and what we can do to fix it, but working with Greening Australia is a very practical way of making a real difference."
The next plantings will be on Sunday July 27. Those wishing to be involved can contact Haydn Burgess on 6253 3035 or email hburgess@act.greeningaustralia.org.au
Gallery 2008 Image 22
