A NEW environmental plan is focused on keeping smaller waterways healthy while adapting to climate change.<\/p>\n
The Goldfields Little Creeks Climate Adaption Strategy and Restoration Guide, also known as the Little Creeks Do Matter initiative, will get its launch at a field afternoon on Sunday, 27 March at Ross Creek Community Hall.<\/p>\n
Project leaders the Bunanyung Landscape Alliance, in partnership with Ross Creek Landcare and the Australian Plant Society Ballarat, will aim to educate residents about the importance of shade over creeks and streams for improved water quality, ecosystem resilience, and wildlife protection.<\/p>\n
Looking to the future and its warmer climate, Bunanyung Landscape Alliance secretary Jeff Rootes said there are opportunities for property owners with land adjacent to waterways.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are plantings they can do to restore some of the biodiversity, reduce flooding, and make it a much healthier creek,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best way to protect little creeks is to plant them out well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ross Creek Landcare\u2019s president Liz Charleson said the group has been \u201cconserving and enhancing\u201d the native plants in their reserve\u2019s creek and wetland area for decades, and this is now a demonstration site.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have transformed a wasteland into a community asset for passive recreation and local wildlife,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re inviting all residents in the wider area to the gathering to share the opportunities that the Little Creeks initiative offers. We\u2019ve had a response from someone in Enfield, for example, who has a creek through their property.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be time to answer questions about practical matters of creek protection and suitable species to plant.\u201d<\/p>\n
The field afternoon will include a strategy overview in the hall before a walk through the Ross Creek Reserve and restored wetland, and afternoon tea.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the walk we will view the wetland and aquatic plants that you may discover on your property,\u201d Ms Charleson said.<\/p>\n