Join the mission to restore koala habitat in the Northern Rivers

BANGALOW Koalas is seeking 20 volunteers to help plant trees on a property in East Coraki on Friday May 30.

The organisation’s president Linda Sparrow said no prior experience is necessary, and there’s a good chance participants may spot a koala on the day.

“We’ll have a bush regenerator on site to guide everyone through the process with a quick ‘how to plant a tree’ talk in the morning,” she said. “There’s no weeding or digging involved — just placing plants into pre-dug holes and mulching.”

Ms Sparrow said while many people feel powerless when it comes to helping the environment, these planting days show just how much of a difference individuals can make when they work together.

“It’s such a privilege to be part of this movement,” she said. “Going back to see thriving trees and koalas using them makes all the hard work, sweat and tears worth it.”

Volunteers come from all walks of life, Sparrow said, including individuals, families, school groups, and community organisations.

The upcoming planting is part of an ongoing effort by Bangalow Koalas to restore native koala habitat and create a ‘koala corridor’ across the Northern Rivers. The organisation originally supplied trees to the East Coraki property owner in 2020.

“This time, we’ll be planting 1,590 koala and rainforest trees on his property, where koalas are already browsing the limited food trees available,” Ms Sparrow said. “Just last month, we planted 2,410 trees on the property directly opposite, across the Wilsons River. That area also has koalas but very few food trees.”

This week, the organisation reached a major milestone — planting its 450,000th tree since 2019 on a property in Bungawalbin, near New Italy. Its goal is to plant 500,000 trees by the end of 2025, but it still needs funding for the final 15,000 trees.

“To plant and maintain 15,000 trees for two years requires $166,000,” Ms Sparrow said. “We’ve been tirelessly applying for every grant we can to meet this target.”

To register as a volunteer, email [email protected] To donate or learn more, visit bangalowkoalas.com.au