World Wetlands Day (2/2/16) has been and gone, but this year there was a gift given that will ensure our local wetland at Carey Bay continues to be strengthened and the problems confronting it addressed.
The first of the gift givers were
volunteers from Trees In Newcastle, they tackled one of the most common
problems our reserves face, the impacts of garden escapes. Twenty metres away
from the Endangered Ecological Community - Swamp Sclerophyll Forest on Coastal
Floodplain, was a historic ‘garden-sculpture bed’ which contained many immanent
threats to the wetland as well as decommissioned art works.
The weed targets that were
tackled included a colossal Cassia tree, fully laden with seeds ready for
dispersal by the local birdlife, spider-plants creeping out their tentacles in
search of moisture and a wandering wisteria that long ago escaped over the
fence. A three hour landcare session saw the healthy weed wall reduced to a
mountain of green.
Neighbourly concern about the
amount of green waste impeding pedestrian progress around the Pony club saw
locals that care for the land combine efforts to address the pile of problematic
materials. A trip to the recyclers saw cast off metal scraps removed and
friendly neighbours provided a high sided trailer to cart away most of the
remaining vegetation.
The following week local landcarers
then completed the task distributing logs for habitat and ensuring any seed or
weed propagules were dealt with.
Landcaring takes many forms,
there are those that can go out weekly as a group, some help when and where
they can, it was such a wonderful World Wetland Day gift to receive support
from the neighbours, the locals and the landcarers. Thankyou for giving your
time and tools.
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| The colossal Cassia |
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| Slow and steady |
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| A community effort...a great result |
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