We’re still on a high from Sunday’s incredible community tree planting day, with 170 local legends, 1800 seedlings planted and almost 800m of the Margaret River or Wootijup Bilya on its way to be restored.
It was one of the biggest volunteer community planting days organised by Nature Conservation Margaret River Region for the year and supported by the Shire of Augusta Margaret River, with on-ground revegetation work as well as a shared lunch and events for the kids on the banks of the river at Rosa Brook. And what a way to top the day off, with engaging talks from cultural custodian Zac Webb and ornithologist Simon Cherriman.
Cultural custodian Zac Webb
Nature Conservation runs a large-scale community planting every May and previously it has been focussed on the lower catchment in and around Kevil Falls. But this year, the focus moved upstream towards the middle of the Margaret River catchment.
“It’s just so encouraging to see the numbers for this event to grow every year. People who live in this region are so connected to nature, they want to see it thrive, and they are turning up with their kids and friends and neighbours to ensure this place remains special and that our biodiversity is given the best chance,” said Nature Conservation engagement officer Jodie Passmore.
Simon Cherriman with Nature Conservation’s Cass Jury and Jodie Passmore
“This is an area of the river that really needs important revegetation work to protect the health of the waterway, reduce runoff, improve water quality, widen the riparian buffer zone, and provide food and shelter for our special wildlife. The site is located on private land and we teamed up with a private landholder who is chipping in to fund the work, and this is an area where we and the community can really make a difference to the Margaret River or Wooditjup Bilya. We had thousands of plants to get into the ground, so it was so heart-warming and inspiring to see all hands-on deck from our amazing community.”
Nature Conservation chair Dr Ann Ward said: “We’re here at a great community planting day. The sun’s shining, there is so much happening. We’re getting plants in the ground, right next to the river. This is the most important thing we can do and, combined with fencing, we’re actually helping to improve the quality of the river. It just makes my heart proud.”
Happy volunteers get stuck into planting, staking and bagging trees
The event brought together two Nature Conservation programs – the Friends of Wooditjup Bilya river restorers and the Protect Wooditjup Bilya initiative – as well as the conservation group’s on-ground Bush Regeneration Team, who were on-hand to inspire, educate and guide volunteers. The planting was the culmination of 12 months of events as part of the Friends of Wooditjup Bilya (Margaret River) program, which has created a community of river restorers, thanks to funding from the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River.
And it was one of the first events as part of our exciting new “Protect Wooditjup Bilya” project, which includes funding for river research, on-ground work like fencing and weed control, and community engagement through events and accessible information.
Just some of the 170-strong volunteer army
The new program will also help coordinate the efforts of the many agencies and organisations working in the Margaret River catchment, and fund a review of existing research to identify gaps in knowledge that are needed for effective conservation. For example, better understanding the water flow, quality and future of refuge pools that form over summer and are vital for wildlife.
And in coming months, there will be community-focused initiatives including a community planting day with engaging speakers at a rehabilitation site in Rosa Brook to promote sustainable practices that benefit both the ecosystem and the community. “Wooditjup Bilya is so important from a cultural, social and environmental perspective. It’s also one of the most important conservation priority areas for freshwater fish and crayfish in the south-west region,” says Nature Conservation’s programs manager and biodiversity officer Cass Jury.
The riparian planting site transformed with bagged seedlings
Thank you to the Shire of Augusta Margaret River, and to the many other local groups and businesses who also contributed to yesterday’s hugely successful event. Just some of them include:
– Local volunteer fire brigade volunteers
A big thank you also to Caro Bannister for organising the food for the day, Margaret River Farmer Direct for the beautiful watermelons, IGA, Woolworths and Coles for their donated sausage sizzle contributions, Tiiram Sunderland and Aron Dyer for preparing the food, Mark Boyd for bringing the fire truck down, Nature Conservation ambassador Leon Pericles and bush regenerator Rick Ensley.