Planting for the future

By Lachlan Ellis

The Moorabool Catchment Landcare Group (MCLG) has teamed up with Ballan Primary School, planting over 500 native plants as part of a revegetation and sustainability program

Parents, teachers, and students joined MCLG volunteers at a planting day at the school grounds on Saturday 22 October, and also installed nest boxes for local animals to live in.

The nest boxes will be monitored with a pole camera, allowing students to watch in real time on a wireless device as the camera is inserted into the nest box, to see what wildlife has made its home in the newly installed habitat. Nest boxes aim to serve the same function to wildlife as naturally formed tree hollows.

Research shows that tree hollows suitable for native wildlife require 100 – 200 years to establish. Unfortunately, many mature trees in the Moorabool Catchment have been lost in recent severe weather events, and native vegetation in the area has been historically cleared.

Nest boxes provide an effective substitute for tree hollows, as these new trees mature over the decades to come.

The project not only increases vegetation coverage and supports native wildlife, but also engages local students on environmental issues, a cause that Coordinator of the MCLG, Jackson Cass, said the school community had shown a lot of support for.

“It’s great to have a project working with the school, particularly with the students. You cannot underestimate the impact that engaging people at a young age with have on their outlook for their natural environment,” Mr Cass told the Moorabool News.

The important work has been supported by funding from the Moorabool North Windfarm.