By Callum Ludwig
The Upper Yarra River Reserve Committee of Management (CoM) is hosting a Birrarung Community Planting Day on the Birrarung/Yarra River banks in Warburton on Sunday 29 May to encourage vegetation regeneration.
Vegetation plays a vital role in maintaining water quality through natural filtration, with the Upper Yarra Reservoir storing 1068 gigalitres of Melbourne’s drinking water.
Member of the Upper Yarra River Reserve CoM Jane Stormer is helping organise the event and said it’s part of the reason our water is good and cheap, but it’s about more than us enjoying the river.
“It’s because of the biofiltration buffer the mountains and the vegetation provide, and we all want to be able to go to the river, but in terms of protecting the riverbanks we’re trying to do it in a way that it actually supports a whole lot of species as well as human beings,” she said.
“If the quality of the water is impacted, then you know, it’s not a river that we can all enjoy, and would have significant impacts on a range of species that actually live in the water.”
10am to 1pm attendees will plant a range of native plants along the riverbank including Manna Gums, Silver Wattles, Blackwoods, Dianella (Flax Lilies), Juncus, Carex (Sedges) and Gardenias.
Ms Stormer said a number of invasive species present a challenge in preserving the river’s natural beauty.
“It’s an important part of our work because one of the challenges we have is that the area that we manage, which is about 8.5 kilometres was settled by Europeans quite early, so an incredible number of weed species have escaped down to the river,” she said.
“Because we’re a high rainfall area as well those species have taken off, and unfortunately a lot of introduced species such as Pittosporum and Tradescantia(Spiderwort) don’t coexist happily with indigenous species and often smother them.”
The Upper Yarra River Reserve is a Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) volunteer Committee of Management dedicated to the river in the Upper Yarra, liaising with Yarra Ranges Council and the Victorian Government organisations on issues or projects pertaining to the river.
Attendees will meet just east of the Caravan Park in Warburton where the walking track enters the bushland, with parking available at the Waterworld car park. It is BYO gloves, drink bottle and all-weather gear.Morning tea will be served at 11.30am.
For more information and to RSVP, press ‘GOING’ on the Facebook event here: www.fb.me/e/2kfg8xlmE or message Ms Stormer by SMS at 0414 858 609.
