Volunteers from the Narooma Lions Club and Landcare group on Wednesday got busy planting more than 200 native plants at the Yabbara wetland, also known as the Dalmeny duckpond.
The work was done under the guidance of the Eurobodalla Council’s natural resources supervisor Heidi Thomson.
“As you may know this area was full of weeds a few years ago, much work has been undertaken to clean it up and the next stage is to continue to move the vegetation buffer back,” Ms Thomson said.
“This will provide habitat for the birds and other critters there and a safety net for runoff and rubbish entering the wetland.”
Species planted on the northern bank of the wetland included lomandra, common rush, melaleuca, boobialla and other eucalypt varieties, mimicking the existing clumps of native vegetation.
There were 10 volunteers in total, half of them from the Narooma Lions Club, which was only natural considering the area is officially the Lions Nature Reserve.
Club member and nearby resident Paul Hattersley said it was great to see more work being done on the reserve after earlier tidying up and planting a few years ago by the club’s volunteers.
“Three years ago we did more planting and the reserve is looking really good,” Mr Hattersley said. “The idea is to reduce the mowed area and thicken it up with native vegetation.
Ms Thomson said the new plants would reduce sediments and rubbish ending up in the pond and provide habitat for bird, turtles and frogs.
Locals had noticed an increasing number of birds using the pond, including pairs of pied cormorants nesting on the small island. There was even a suspected emu print sighted in the mud in February.
More work is planned and anyone interested in Landcare work can contact Eurobodalla Council on 4474 1000, while the Lions Club is always looking for more volunteers and Mr Hattersley can be contacted on 4476 8316.
“If the community is keen, we can do more planting of clumps of different species,” he said, adding that the club had also recently planted natives at the Kianga Lions Park.
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Stan Gorton
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
