By Holly McGuinness
Friends of Kororoit Creek (FOKC) and the community joined together on Sunday, 31 July in a mammoth working bee for National Tree Day, with 2000 plants put in the ground.
President of FOKC Jessica Gerger said there was a great turn out on the day, “Around 150 people of all ages braved the cold, windy weather to help plant. We reckon there would have been even more if the weather had been kinder to us – but that is still an absolutely fantastic showing,
“Everyone was so keen to help and get involved. Whenever you turned around there were people lovingly working on different sections. It was heartwarming to see.” Ms Gerger said.
Established in 1996, National tree day has seen 26 million trees planted Australia wide by over five million volunteers since its formation. The day is fronted by not-for-profit, Planet Ark Environmental Foundation who said they’re seeing around 300,000 individuals donating their time to volunteer on greening their communities each year.
The FOKC event took place at The Bug Rug, a local spot just off of the Kororoit Creek trail in Sunshine West.
The group planted a variety of plants with 100 trees in the mix, “The rest were shrubs, wildflowers and grasses which are just as important.
“Indigenous grasses are fantastic for carbon sequestration and provide habitat and food for beneficial insects and other local fauna,” Ms Gerger said, noting the site is well worth a visit and they’re grateful to the helping hands and sponsorships they had for the day.
“Brimbank City Council’s Conservation Department are very supportive of us.
“We also had sponsorship and support from Melbourne Water, Fifteen Trees, Love Sunshine Businesses, The Level Crossing Removal Project, Orica and Firekeepers,” Miss Gerger said.
