Friday, 10th July 2009

Staff from the Avon Catchment Council this week got their hands dirty and helped with the planting of thousands of trees in the Beverley district. The group of about 15 staff normally spend their time coordinating landcare efforts from their office in Northam. But this week they headed to the property of Brian Faithful and Geraldine Addison and planted about 3500 native trees with colleagues from the Department of Water. The ACC’s operations manager Natarsha Woods said the natural resource management group had proudly helped plant more than 4 million trees in the past three years. “But that has mostly been done from the confines of our office through contract management, with some field work via monitoring and evaluation,” Natarsha Woods said. “This time we got our hands dirty to help give us an appreciation for what it’s like to be on the frontline of caring for our environment.” Brian Faithfull and Geraldine Addison said the Dale River ran through a part of the property planted out to the trees. “The land has had stock on it for a hundred years so the river is badly in need of some help,” Brian Faithful said. “We are also keen to tackle erosion, salinity and improve the water quality of the river,” Geraldine Addison said. “The trees will also help to create a safe habitat for the movement of native birds through the wheatbelt.” The trees have been grown by several nurseries in the Avon catchment and funded through the ACC’s Dale Ecoscape project. The Department of Water has already begun fencing, deep ripping and weed control to ensure the survival of the species. Media contact: Natarsha Woods, Operations Manager, Avon Catchment Council; 9690 2250