Successful planting day for Landcare groups

FITNESS and community spirit combined in Dalyston and Kilcunda, with the local environment set to benefit from the addition of 3,000 plants.

Three Creeks Landcare members were out in force, planting at Powlett River Caravan Park and Old Kilcunda Station.

Volunteers arrived and travelled between locations by bike.

The event is one of the many organised by Bass Coast Landcare Network (BCLCN).

Both of Saturday’s planting locations are part of the Bass Coast Shire Council’s Bio Links program, linking corridors of vegetation, increasing biodiversity, and providing wildlife habitat.

BCLCN project officer Joel Kilgour said that with the ground softening due to rainfall it is the start of the planting season, with the network organising many planting days with various Landcare groups across the Bass Coast region.

He explained Saturday’s planting sites are distinctly different.

The caravan park location is a woodland area, home to plants such as coastal banksias, while the Kilcunda site is a native grassland habitat.

That influenced what the group planted at each site.

“We focused on all three layers of the environment, including canopy trees like banksias, midlevel plants such as Melaleuca, and then grasses at the lowest level, trying to recreate what was there originally,” Joel said of the woodland site.

He explained the Ecological Vegetation Classification system is used to determine how specific locations were prior to settlement, so they can be restored as closely as possible to their natural state.

Native grasses and small shrubs were planted at the Kilcunda grassland location.

Funding sparked the idea to combine bike riding with planting.

“We got a grant for wellness planting, so that’s why we incorporated the ride as an exercise activity,” Joel said.

Volunteers enjoyed a generous morning tea between planting sessions.