Saltmarsh rehab set to flourish thanks to Council grant
Published on 09 December 2021
More than 1200 native trees and bushes will be planted around Salt Bay and Black Neds Bay in Swansea to rehabilitate the delicate ecosystem and improve recreational fishing.
The joint initiative by conservation charity OzFish Unlimited and Lake Macquarie Landcare Volunteer Network is one of six projects to receive funding under Lake Macquarie City Council’s Community Environment Grants program.
OzFish Program Manager Angus Fanning said the $5000 grant would help fund two community planting and education days next autumn, as well as a collaboration with Bahtabah Local Aboriginal Land Council.
“This project, delivered by the Lake Macquarie community, will have a positive impact on the terrestrial and estuarine ecosystem,” he said.
“It will also assist existing Council efforts to rehabilitate the area, provide shelter and habitat for juvenile fish, and ultimately improve the quality of recreational fishing in the area – a key tourist drawcard for the region.”
Mr Fanning said similar projects at more than 15 sites across NSW had proved highly successful under the Landcare NSW and OzFish partnership.
Sustainability Engagement Coordinator Chris Harle said the six grants, worth a total of more than $23,000 were awarded to ideas that focused on the core themes of environment and sustainability.
“The programs we’ve funded in this round reflect the diversity of ideas our community has for improving our environment and making our city a more sustainable place for future generations,” she said.
They ranged from the revitalisation of a community garden at the Lake Macquarie PCYC by OzHarvest to a program promoting plastic-free coffee cups for coffee carts and vans in Lake Macquarie, and from raised garden beds on a school campus to the provision of environmental sustainability training for family day care educators.
Also funded was a ReLeaf Lake Mac ‘tree trail’ among the outdoor sculpture park at the Museum of Art and Culture, yapang, at Booragul.
The trail will include signs next to selected trees in the park, listing its Aboriginal, common and scientific names, with QR codes linking to further information about each species.
The next round of Community Environment Grant funding opens in February. Go to lakemac.com.au for more information about the program.