UQ Gatton getting greener

Putting greens are making way for wildlife shelters as part of a visionary environmental project at The University of Queensland's Gatton Campus.

A joint project between staff and students, the environmental redevelopment will transform a former golf course and surrounds, including campus landmark Lake Galletly, into a 10-hectare bushland park complete with animal shelters, bird-watching hides and revegetated native forest.

Campus Manager Janelle Zahmel said the area would serve dual roles as a conservation park for native plants and wildlife and an educational resource for students enrolled in any of UQ Gatton’s range of environmental programs.

She said the park was destined to become a magnet for birdwatchers as well, with Lake Galletly already a destination for thousands of local and migrating birds, including Magpie Geese, Egrets, Latham’s Snipe (from Japan) or Asia’s Marsh Sandpiper.

Work on the project began in earnest this month, with the relocation of fencing and the placement of wildlife shelters in various trees around the Campus. More than 50 other nesting boxes will be placed around the precinct in coming months for native animals and birds.

“The project is a truly joint effort, with a team of scientists led by Dr Greg Baxter from the Faculty of Natural Resources, Agriculture and Veterinary Science (NRAVS), staff from UQ’s Properties and Facilities (P&F) division and the Student Wildlife Association of Gatton (SWAG) volunteering their time and expertise,” Ms Zahmel said.

“Their legacy will be a living asset that future students, staff and the public will cherish.

“The environmental park will become a major feature, complementing the spacious natural landscape of the Gatton Campus, and it is already a valuable educational resource for the students involved in the project.

SWAG President Ben Allen said his group relished the chance to be involved in the project and contribute something back to UQ Gatton.

“This is a chance for us to put into practice a lot of what we’re learning,” Mr Allen said.

“We’ve been involved in the design of the park and have now been charged with the responsibility of determining the nature and extent of wildlife shelters needed for the various species we’re targeting. With help from P&F we’re then constructing those and placing them around campus.

“Soon we will be involved in further revegetation of the area, the construction of pathways, bird watching hides and other developments.”

Ms Zahmel said work on the project would continue over coming years, ensuring current and future students’ continued involvement.

For more information, contact Brad Henderson, Marketing Coordinator, Faculty of NRAVS, on (07) 5460 1229 or 0409.265.587