Central Coast Council’s Environmental Volunteer Program has three new officers and has so far this year been involved in National Volunteer Week, Harvest Festival and the 5 Lands Walk.
The group is now turning its attention to this year’s National Tree Day events on Sunday, July 28.
New officers Alex Rodriguez-Barbaro, Suzie German and Robyn Urquhart have hit the ground running.
German and Urquhart were already working with the group in temporary roles and now move into permanent ones.
Rodriguez joins the team from another role at Council and brings with him many years of experience working in the area of land conservation and bush regeneration.
The Environmental Volunteer Program will facilitate two community planting events at Killcare Beach and Porters Creek Wetland (Wyong) on July 28.
“The two sites represent very different environments, with both being ecologically important in terms of biodiversity and sustainability,” a spokesperson said.
“The Killcare Beach event will focus on the planting of native coastal species in the fore and hind dunes at the site.
“Native dune vegetation is the first line of defence against coastal erosion and provides important habitat for wildlife.
“Ongoing planting events such as National Tree Day at Killcare Beach will help improve the ability of the dune systems to withstand extreme weather events, help protect infrastructure and contribute to increasing biodiversity in the region.
“Porters Creek Wetland is the largest freshwater wetland on the Central Coast and supports a diverse range of flora and fauna, including some threatened species.
“The wetland plays a vital role in managing flooding, filtering stormwater and improving water quality before entering Wyong River and the Tuggerah lakes system.
“Planting at this site will help restore roosting and foraging habitat for many native and threatened animal species, including the critically endangered Swift parrot.”
Plants for the community planting events are being grown by environmental volunteers at our Erina Depot Nursery.
“Last year on the Central Coast more than 350 people from our community attended across the two sites and approximately 2,000 plants were planted,” the spokesperson said.
“This year you can enjoy tree planting, environmental and cultural workshops, live music, animal displays, kids activities and more – while getting your hands dirty helping your local environment and supporting Planet Ark’s annual event – Australia’s largest community tree planting event.”
The events will take place at Beach Dr, Killcare, and Porters Creek Wetland, 88 Alison Rd, Wyong, from 9am-1pm on Sunday, July 28, with a smoking ceremony at each location at 8.30am.
Pre-register for the Killcare event at www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/council/national-tree-day-sunday-28-july-2024-killcare
Pre-register for the Porters Creek Wetland event at www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/council/national-tree-day-sunday-28-july-2024-porters-creek-wetland-0
If you can commit to a few hours on the day to help with organisation email environmentalvolunteering@centralcoast.nsw.gov.au