What does it take to restore bald, cleared hills to biodiverse, forested corridors? One family wanted to know.
Rachel and Karl Russo live on a 100-acre property in the Woolamai Hills. Facing declining water quality, soil degradation and landslips, they started imagining what the hills would have looked like before the forest was cleared to build Melbourne; clear waterfalls and gullies covered by a dynamic, lowland forest ecosystem. Inspired to do something, they contacted David Bateman, General Executive Manager of Bass Coast Landcare Network (BCLN), for support. Karl said to Dave "We want to revegetate this whole gully, this whole hill, as much as we can!".
The BCLN, Bass Coast Shire Council (BCSC) and others were working on the Bass Coast Biolinks Program. This was excellent timing. As it turned out, the Russo's Project was set to become one of the largest and most successful projects within the program.
Many hands battled the slopes to plant over 74,000 plants between 2017-2020. Over 400 year-9's from Wonthaggi Secondary College were fuelled by hundreds of sausages cooked by Rotary Club volunteers. Gippsland Intrepid Landcare facilitated two plant and dance' events, BCSC Staff and Councillors, Melbourne Water Staff, a Green Army team, and many more participated.
After three years, change is apparent. After rain, the once muddy and silty waterfall at the end of the gully, is now clear. The soil on the steep slopes is being held together. Water quality is improving. This patch of the Woolamai Hills is flourishing into a beautiful area for wildlife and indigenous plant species.
This project is supported by BCSC Bass Coast Biolinks Program, Melbourne Water Stream Frontage Program, Australian Federal Government's 20 Million Trees Program, and The Victorian Landcare Grants.
Author: Holly Gurling (Bass Coast Landcare Network)
This article was originally published in the 2021 May issue of Landcare in Focus