Thousands of native plants and trees have been planted along Slacks Creek over the last seven years by a group of volunteers who have dedicated their free time to restoring natural habitats.
There’s no personal or monetary award for their efforts – just the knowledge they are doing good in the community.
“Restoring the creek is obviously beneficial for wildlife,” Slacks Creek Catchment Group founder Anna Markula said.
“It will have environmental benefits with the water quality of the creek, and improve the habitat.
“But the thing I find more important is that it provides a natural area close to where people live. Because not everybody gets to experience nature very easily.”
The group focused on Slacks Creek because of how extensive it is, stretching 14 kilometres through the heart of Logan and into the Logan River.
“ It is really rare to have a creek that runs through so many urban areas and quite industrial areas, and there are parklands along the majority of it.
“And in a lot of the parklands, there is a lot of wildlife. We have done fauna surveys in the past and found koalas, sugar gliders, and all sorts of really cool wildlife.”
The group formed in 2018, and during that time has planted thousands of trees – 4000 in the last three years and 2000 in the last year.
“It’s not recognisable from what it was a year ago,” Ms Markula said.
“The native trees have just taken off, and it looks much different and much nicer.
The group calls its planting events “working bees”.
Each working bee, which can involve around 10 volunteers, plants a few hundred plants in just a couple of hours.
The next working bee is this 19 October, from 8am to 10am at Riverdale Park in Meadowbrook.
The group will spend the morning planting native trees and grasses along the creek to help create a vegetation buffer for mangroves and habitat for wildlife.
Anyone is welcome, Ms Markula said. Simply RSVP via the group’s Facebook page or email slackscreekcatchment@outlook.com.
Morning tea will be provided. Attendees are just asked to bring water and gloves, if possible, and to wear a hat, long pants, covered shoes, and sunscreen.
