A section of embankment along Kororoit Creek underwent significant revitalisation last week.
Year nine students at Catholic Regional College St Albans planted 1000 native grasses, shrubs and trees into the bank along the creek, which has been officially adopted by the school.
Catholic Regional College community projects officer Hayden O’Doherty said the newly adopted section of the creek, at the Isabella Williams Memorial Reserve, Deer Park, will serve as a vital part of the school’s curriculum.
“This is part of our Trinity program, which is where we take year 9s out of the classroom throughout the year and they get to experience and do things we couldn’t do inside a classroom,” he said.
The collaboration is the culmination of a partnership between the school, Melbourne Water and the Friends of Kororoit Creek.
“We talked to the Friends of Kororoit Creek and Melbourne Water and they help us select the species of plant that are most suited to the area,” Mr O’Doherty said.
“Melbourne Water helped us select a site and we’re really looking at re-building habitat, particularly for local flora.”
The area will be monitored by both the school and Melbourne Water.
“This is a permanent initiative. We’ll be back here every year with our Trinity program and our year 10 outdoor education classes,” Mr O’Doherty said.
“We’ll be monitoring the growth of the plants, what particular animal species are down here and it’ll become part of our biodiversity audit.
“Part of the partnership with Melbourne Water is that there’s also a grant for professional maintenance as well.”
