Kick Start Your Reserve Coach Tour

On December the 3rd, Basalt to Bay will be hosting the Kick Start Your Researve Coach Tour.

The aim of the tour is to bring local corporates together with members of the Kick Start Your Reserve initiative, to profile the achievements of individual groups and the benefits of the initiative to local communities.

The coach tour is by invite only and it is anticipated that a diverse range of people will be on board, including representatives from 5 reserve groups, local indigenous represenatatives, staff from the Glenelg Hopkins CMA, Basalt to Bay members, local corporate groups and other relevant parties.

The first stop on the tour is Tozer Reserve near Warrnambool, followed by a visit to Yatmerone Reserve in Penshurst, then Hawkesdale Common, a BBQ lunch at Apex Park in Hawkesdale and finishing the tour with a visit to Hawkesdale's Racecourse Reserve. A follow up trip is anticipated for the middle of next year.

Thanks to the Glenelg Hopkins CMA for providing adminstrative support for the trip and the Department of Planning and Community Development for sponsoring the day.

Tozer Reserve and Jemena

Last Friday was an awesome day at Tozer Reserve with about 90 kids from Warrnambool Primary School, all really enthusiatic and excited about being there.

The kids were really focussed and worked very hard to plant 2,500 shrubs, grasses and trees in the lower paddock. This time we had the kids concentrate on back filling the upper area that we direct seeded this time last year - mainly with grasses and shrubs but they also filled in some areas we missed last year around the rocky outcrops and one of the drainage lines at the bottom of the paddock.

Overall they did an excellent job. Tim Bligh and myself were extremely impressed, when we walked around after and saw how well they had planted and staked the guards. They really listened to our introduction at the beginning.

So thanks kids and teachers and parents - a job well done !!!

Tanya Johnson from the local branch of Jemena came out later to lend a hand and she's keen to come out again next Thursday, when we hope to continue planting with students from Warrnambool College.

Thanks to Jemena for the funding and demonstrating such a strong committment to supporting local environmental projects. We anticipate that Jemana funded works at Tozer Reserve will be completed in the next 10 months with further tree planting, the development of a walking track/driveway, additional weed maintenance, fixing of fences, flora and fauna mapping with volunteers and the development of signage for the walking track.

Press Release : Local Jemena branch supports vital growth at Community Reserve

The local branch of national company Jemena is supporting Basalt to Bay Landcare group activities to restore native vegetation at Tozer Reserve.

Leading national utility infrastructure services company Jemena – as part of their community partnership program with Landcare Australia – will fund the planting of 4,500 trees, shrubs and native grasses, as well as helping to improve walking tracks and vehicle access to the reserve.

Located on Wangoom Road, the Tozer Reserve provides hands-on educational experience for students through local school environmental programs. Tozer Reserve is jointly owned by Warrnambool Primary School, Warrnambool College and Brauer College.

Warrnambool Primary School Principal Peter Ocatel said “Children love coming out to Tozer Reserve and are always surprised by the changes in the vegetation once they visit”.

The 20 hectare site was formerly a pine plantation and grazing block but is now home to many rare native orchards, shrubs and frogs.

Confirming the significance of flora within the reserve, Basalt to Bay Chairman Tim Bligh said “While there are small amounts of coastal scrub around Warrnambool, there is no other grassy woodland with the scale and diversity of Tozer within the Warrnambool City Council boundary.”

Jemena’s partnership with Landcare through their Vital Service, Vital Planet community partnership program reflects their ongoing focus to provide local support for environmental initiatives.

On Friday October 9^th, 90 students from Warrnambool Primary School, along with volunteers from the Basalt to Bay Landcare Network planted 2,500 ghrasses, shrubs and trees.

Basalt to Bay Coordinator Richard Hudson said that “The contribution that Jemena has made to Tozer Reserve really helps improve the site’s educational potential.”

Jemena gets Behind Basalt to Bay Landcare Network

Basalt to Bay has recently learned that it was successfull in an application to Landcare Australia, for the energy infrastructure group Jemena (http://www.jemena.com.au/) to fund our Rejuvinating Tozer Reserve project. Jemena will provide $30,000 towards the project and local staff, who will participate in on ground works at the start of October.

Funds will be used towards :

• Coordination
• Fencing
• Weed work
• 6,132 seedlings
• Creating a track with flora/fauna signage
• Mapping equipment & mapping conultation
• Training of volunteers
  
• Jemena sponsored coach tour of environmental works across the catchment (to be held in February 2010).

A big thank you to Francis Jeon-Ellis from Landcare Australia for facilitating our application and Jemena for sponsoring this project. We look forward to engaging with Jemena in this project and to a fruitfull relationship with them.