Help make Specimen Vale even greener

GREEN thumbs are invited to give back to their community and the environment as part of an upcoming National Tree Day planting morning at Specimen Vale reserve.

An initiative of Friends of Specimen Vale co-convenors Ellen Scott and Meredith Harvey, the working bee on Thursday 15 August from 9.30am to 12pm will see volunteers put about 200 trees in the ground between Chamberlain and Rodier streets, Ballarat East.

“Friends of Specimen Vale extend a cordial invitation to all those who would like to join us in this tree planting extravaganza along the creek,” said Ms Scott.

“We can guarantee that not only will the working bee help maintain and enhance our beautiful environment, but it will offer participants the chance to meet new neighbours, to experience a sense of accomplishment, to admire work completed, and to enjoy morning tea together.”

Garden beds are set to be extended to provide ground cover habitat, and some dead plants will be replaced.

The City of Ballarat supports the Friends, providing native plants, mulch, stakes and tree guards.

“If we get 20 volunteers on the day, we’ll be thrilled,” Ms Harvey said. “It’s all about providing space for people to be happy in their environment.”

Specimen Vale is a creek valley reserve that runs through Ballarat East. It’s just south of Victoria Street and runs parallel.

“From February to December, Friends of Specimen Vale meet fortnightly at various sites along the creek, somewhere-between Stawell Street South in the east and Princes Street South in the west,” said Ms Harvey.

“With a mailing list of over 60 individuals and groups, we are a vibrant and dedicated collection of volunteers, predominantly from the local East Ballarat community, and a little bit beyond.

“Our purpose is to bring people together to improve the habitat, both visually and environmentally of this section of Specimen Vale.

“The outcomes outweigh the effort … the volunteers gain satisfaction and enjoyment from their collaborative work. Community users of the tracks repeatedly let us know of their appreciation of the developments.”

National Tree Day is an initiative of Planet Ark where groups across the country plant trees to boost the environment and wildlife habitat.

Friends of Specimen Vale’s event is belated, following the official day on Sunday 28 July. Register on the Planet Ark website, or sign up at Specimen Vale on the day.