Spring Creek preservations in full-swing as Rip Curl joins the fun

COMMUNITY and businesses have joined forces to begin restoring some 100 acres of private property set aside for preservation in Spring Creek Valley, with close to 300 indigenous plants planted and the removal of a large amount of invasive gorse in the last two weeks alone.

Members of Surfers Appreciating Natural Environment (SANE), Surf Coast Energy Group (SCEG) and local businesses such as RipCurl, Quiksilver and Patagonia have again joined forces to connect community with business in the goal of preserving the Surf Coast’s natural environment.

The partnerships are coinciding with a higher number of group activities to restore Spring Creek Valley in recent weeks, partly due to the Distinctive Area Landscape process that was conducted by the state government.

SANE, which conducts a monthly working bee on the second Sunday of every month, conducted its third working bee of the year last Sunday on October 10 to remove the invasive European plant gorse, stopping short the production of tens of thousands of rapidly maturing seeds.

 

Last Thursday and Friday, Spring Creek Valley had 288 indigenous trees, plants and other flora planted and guarded by members of Rip Curl as part of the company’s annual Planet Day, getting staff into the community to help with various environmental projects.

With more of these initiatives taking place and more set to occur in the future, chairperson of both SCEG and SANE Graeme Stockton said his community groups were being presented with an extremely lucky opportunity.

“What we need to continue doing is working on building our assets not destroying them through things like over-urbanisation. If we can do that, we can bring in lots of new economic opportunities,” Mr Stockton said.

“When we work collectively, as we do with businesses like Rip Curl, the community and private land-holders, we can do enormous things, which in the past just hasn’t been available to us.”

This year’s Planet Day marked the 21st year of Rip Curl’s staff members working with local environmental groups to help better the Surf Coast area.

Rip Curl Group CEO and Planet Day participant Michael Daly was one of the staff members on the ground this year.

“We are proud that every Rip Curl staff member allocates a working day to help the volunteer community groups improve our local environment” Mr Daly said.

“The Rip Curl Planet Day has become a popular tradition for our crew and it’s awesome to see the results from previous years in our coastal areas”.

Mr Stockton said volunteers were not required to be a part of either SCEG or SANE to help with Spring Creek Valley plantings and the monthly working bees wiould continue to take place 11 months out of the year.