Mary Porter recently joined 40 fellow Greening Australia volunteers helping to remove pine wildings from the slopes of Mt McDonald which have been planted with 14,000 native trees, shrubs and grasses. Since 2005 Mary has worked with many other Greening Australia volunteers to help with those plantings.
The survival rate of these plantings has been in excess of 75% which is an amazing result considering the lack of rainfall that has been experienced since the plantings.
This work is part of the ACT Land Keepers Program where the ACT Government and Greening Australia are working together to transform the landscape of the Lower Cotter Catchment from a degraded former pine plantation into a native woodland.
The aim of this work is to improve both the water quality and also the biodiversity of the catchment.
The removal of the pine wildings helps in restoring the site to a native woodland and reduces competition for precious moisture and nutrients.
"I recently moved a motion in the Legislative Assembly dealing with greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. However, working as a volunteer with Greening Australia gives me the opportunity of making a real and practical difference" Mary said.
"Community based organisations such as Greening Australia do an outstanding job in harnessing volunteers who want to work with like-minded people to help make real change, " Mary continued.
Anyone wishing to help transform the Lower Cotter Catchment can contact Haydn Burgess on 62533035 of hburgess@act.greeningaustralia.org.au
Gallery 2007 Image 17
