SHELLHARBOUR CITY COUNCIL TO PLANT 3000 TREES FOR WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

Shellharbour City Council Mayor Chris Homer will join Council staff to plant 3000 native plants for World Environment Day on Wednesday 5 June.

This will be the last planting session this financial year, delivering Council’s commitment to plant 8000 seedlings at Croom Reserve by the end of June to rehabilitate foraging habitat for Grey-Headed Flying-Foxes.

In 2022, Shellharbour City Council’s Environment Team secured approximately $160,000 from the NSW Government’s Environmental Trust in association with Local Government NSW as part of the Flying-Fox Habitat Restoration Program.

Over the duration of the multi-year grant, Council and local community volunteers will plant 30,000 seedlings throughout Blackbutt Forest Reserve and Croom Reserve. The vegetation will provide a food source for the colonies and will be distanced from nearby residences to minimise noise disturbance.

Shellharbour City Mayor Chris Homer said he was proud of the continued efforts of Council staff and their dedication to our natural environment.

“The 3000 native tube stock that we will plant at Croom Reserve were grown from seedlings at the Shellharbour City Council Nursery,” he said.

“It’s wonderful to see staff from across Council taking the initiative and working to restore our natural habitats.”

Croom Reserve was identified as a key location for land and habitat restoration because of its importance as a biodiversity corridor. The native plants will boost local ecosystems, support our keystone species and encourage further habitat restoration in the area.

A successful Community Planting Day was held on the site in January and there are plans to hold further planting days later this year. Community members are encouraged to register their interest to take part in one of these planting days on Let’s Chat.