It was a grey, rainy and cold day as we set off on Mother’s day to plant trees at Scottsdale Reserve, a Bush Heritage Australia property, 74kms north of Canberra on the Murrumbidgee River. We joined a small, but hardy group of volunteers dedicated to restoring river corridors. Our planting was part of the Rivers of Carbon Upper Bidgee project where we are working to connect a stretch of river between the stunning Bredbo and Colinton Gorges. We know there are threatened fish populations of native Trout cod and Macquarie perch living in these gorges, and we want to create a continuous corridor of vegetation along the river to enable fish to move upstream and downstream.
With just twelve adults and five children we planted 500 trees and shrubs, a terrific achievement as a lot of volunteers dropped out due to the conditions. There is something immensely satisfying about planting trees with the sound of the river and the wildlife that lives along it, encouraging you. We also had a lot of conversation amongst our group as we worked our way along the riparian strip enjoying the easy planting due to holes being pre-dug, coaxing the plant out of the tube, burying the roots into the soil, and protecting the plant with guards and a wish for good seasons.
We thought you might enjoy some photos from the day – stay in touch with us on our Facebook page for future plantings!
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- Great feeling getting the first tree in!
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- Anita our local coordinator wishing everyone a Happy Mothers Day
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- Haydn, part of our RoC team feeling pleased with the results of our efforts.
Special friends who came along to help
Finishing the job by watering the plants in
Enjoying time together and thinking about future picnics amongst the trees
Thank you to everyone who came along. You can find out more about our Rivers of Carbon – Upper Bidgee project by exploring the website or by keeping up to date through our free monthly newsletter.
Our project partners are:
