Thousands of trees to be planted at UQ Gatton

An army of volunteers will descend on The University of Queensland’s Gatton campus on Friday 11 March to continue restoring the banks of Lockyer Creek.

UQ staff and students and the wider community are invited to help plant 5300 trees along a 1.5km area that was badly affected by floods in January 2011 and again in January 2013.

Andrew Wilson from UQ Sustainability said it would be a fun event and would finish with a free barbecue lunch. 

“We’ll provide free return transport from the St Lucia campus in Brisbane,” Mr Wilson said.

“This event is a great volunteering opportunity for those interested in environmental causes and gives students and staff a way to invest in the environment on campus.

“The project aims to improve the creek’s water quality and to provide important habitat for wildlife.”

The work is being funded through the Queensland Government’s Everyone’s Environment grants program and West Moreton Landcare, in partnership with Seqwater.

Bob Hampson from West Moreton Landcare said the project built on work undertaken in March 2014, when 70 volunteers planted more than 2000 trees.

“The two-stage project will help to stabilise the creek banks and reduce erosion along a continuous stretch of the creek,” Mr Hampson said.

“We’re planting a diverse mix of native tree species to improve the biodiversity and attract new animal species to the area.”

Seqwater Chief Executive Officer Peter Dennis said he was pleased to partner again with UQ and West Moreton Landcare to help improve LOckyer Creek's water quality.

“Bank stabilisation is crucial to preventing further erosion, which can result in more dirt getting into our waterways,” Mr Dennis said.

“Restoring the stream banks of Lockyer Creek will ultimately result in a cleaner water source for Lowood, Ipswich and Brisbane.

“I thank UQ and West Moreton Landcare for their continued support in caring for our catchment health. Our catchments are the green heart of our region.”

Volunteers can register here. The UQ Sustainability website has more information.

When: Friday 11 March, 2016 10am to 2pm

What: Volunteers planting 5000+ trees on the banks of the Lockyer Creek

Where: University of Queensland Gatton campus
 

Contact: Clair Keleher, 07 3365 2076, c.keleher@pf.uq.edu.au