Thirty volunteers, some contractors and NPWS staff under the guidance of NPWS Ranger Jodie McGill have spent three days in January at this badly degraded site in Heathcote NP. When the power lines were put in, the area was very badly damaged and then illegal bike tracks were constructed making it even worse.
Staff had trucked in loads of mulch which has been spread over the site.
Holes were dug (using pickaxes in some spots, the ground was so compacted), water absorbent crystals and some plant nutrients were added before planting out the tube stock which had been grown from local provenance seed collected from the area. The plants have been protected by plant guards and wire netting to stop hungry deer from eating them before they become established.
Spion Kop – Heathcote National Park
Over 300 trees have been planted, being mainly E punctata, E sieberi and E haemastoma.
These are all koala food trees and as this area is close to where koalas are currently found, in years to come these will help to support the current population and allow them to spread to new areas.
This project is just one of many that Friends participate in, so if you’d like to be part of future projects and do your bit to help the local environment, then head to our volunteer page here to see what is available and sign-up.
Activities are listed on the Volunteer Calendar.
Register for an activity that captures your interest and you will be contacted with more information.