Volunteer Information Pack

Grow West Community Planting Day Sunday 15th July 2012

Planting Day Details

This annual event is run in partnership with the Grow West Project, Victorian National Parks Association, Friends of Werribee Gorge and Long Forest Mallee and Pentland Hills Landcare Group. This year’s project is supported by Computershare Pepper eTree, DSE - Vision for Werribee Plains and Water—Stream Frontage Management Program. Event Schedule When: Sunday 15th July 2011, 9:30am – 4.30pm 8.30am Team leaders briefing

What: You will join a volunteer force to plant 6,000 seedlings along 9.30am Registrations Open the Creek. Volunteers allocated into teams 10 am Team leaders to provide volunteer Where: David Muir’s Property, Morrisons Lane, induction Morning tea supplied at (VicRoads 77 G3). 11am registration Bring: Warm clothes, hat, gloves and sturdy footwear. To minimize 11.15am – 12.30pm Continue planting waste, please bring your own water bottle, cup, plate and cutlery for 12.30 - 1.30pm BBQ lunch lunch. Lunch & afternoon tea will be supplied. Official welcome & thank you / 1pm Your assistance on the day will be greatly appreciated and we hope Large group photo you have an enjoyable day. Assemble back into planting 1.30pm – 3.45pm teams – continue planting & If you have further questions regarding the day please contact Helena watering Lindorff, Environmental Projects Coordinator on 9971 6502 or 0437 Afternoon tea back at catering 3.45pm—4.30pm 195 511. tent / conclusion of event

Directions to planting day site

Morrisons Lane, Korobeit VicRoads 77G3 Morrisons Lane

Planting Site 1. Head onto the Western Freeway

2. Take the Myrniong exit off the freeway

3. Turn right onto Myrniong-Greendale Rd

4. Continue 3.9km on Old Western Hwy. You will pass through the Myrniong township

5. Turn right onto Myrniong-Korobeit Rd and travel 3.1km

6. Continue along the Myrniong-Korobeit Rd. You will come to a Y-section of the road, veer to your right onto Morrisons Lane

7. Travel ~500m along Morrisons Lane and you will see signage directing you into the property on your right hand side

Please refer to the Melways / VicRoads / Google Maps if you wish to take and alternate route. There will be directional signage from the Myrniong Exit from the Freeway to the planting site.

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David Muir— ‘Hafton’ Property

This year‘s planting site will be located on ―Hafton‖, an 800acre property owned by David Muir, which has been in the family for 4 generations. David grew up on the farm with his three siblings and he has a son Damian who is 12 years old. His farm is a mixed farming enterprise of sheep, cattle, cropping and he successfully grows fat lambs. He runs the property himself which is a full time job. David has said that he has always wanted to fence out the creek as it became more erosive after the Muir's road bridge was altered. He is very keen to regenerate the creek and preserve David Muir Property – Myrniong Creek the remnant trees on ―Hafton‖.

David‘s site is part of a larger landcare project called the ‗Myrniong and Korkuperrimul Biolinks Project‘. The project is being co-founded by Melbourne Water Stream Frontage Program, DSE-Vision for Werribee Plains and facilitated by the Pentland Hills Landcare Group with support from the Port Phillip and Westernport CMA‘s Grow West Project.

The Biolink Project was established in 2010 and aims to improve the ecological health of land adjoining Myrniong and Korkuperrimul Creeks by fencing out domestic livestock, revegetating degraded areas and protecting the remnant native vegetation from the impacts of rabbits and weeds along 10km of waterways.

David Muir, Property Owner of ―Hafton‖ Trees Eucalyptus ovata Swamp Gum Eucalyptus radiata Narrow-leaved Peppermint Eucalyptus viminalis Manna Gum Understorey Tree / Large Shrub Species selection for the 2012 Community Planting Acacia mearnsii Black Wattle Day has taken the following into consideration: Acacia melanoxylon Blackwood  Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVC‘s) that would Medium Shrubs have once existed on site - Escarpment Shrubland Acacia pycnantha Golden Wattle  Existing remnant vegetation at and adjoining the site; Acacia stricta Hop Wattle Bursaria spinosa Sweet Bursaria  Our knowledge of which species have survived and performed well from previous plantings in the Melicytus dentatus Tree Violet surrounding area; Coprosma quadrifida Prickly Currant-bush  Physical characteristics of plant species and their Gynatrix pulchella Hemp Bush ability to out compete noxious weeds and stabilise Leptospernum continentale Prickly Teatree erosion prone soils; Goodenia ovata  Ability of nurseries and suppliers to harvest local Grasses / Sedges provenance seed and propagate seedlings; and Juncus sp Rushes  Habitat characteristics of plant species (e.g. to Carex appressa Tall Sedge enhance biodiversity and provide a suitable habitat for Lomandra filiformis Wattle Mat-rush native fauna). Lomandra longifolia Spiny-headed Mat-rush Themeda triandra Kangaroo Grass

2 Grow West Community Planting Day — Tree Planting Guide

3 Frequently Asked Questions

When is the planting day? Sunday 15th July 2012.

How do I register? Registration will be carried out online via www.growwest.com.au. If you do not have internet access or an email address you can contact Environmental Projects Officer, Helena Lindorff on ph: 9971 6502 / 0437 195 511 / [email protected] for a registration form to be sent out.

Alternatively, if you don‘t have internet access at home, you can either use the internet at your local library or contact the VNPA Office on 9347 5188.

Do I, along with other family or friends, need to register? Every person who attends the planting day needs to be registered in order to cover public liability insurance requirements. Registration makes it possible for the organising committee to plan for catering, allocating number of volunteers to teams and organising tools and plants for the day.

Can children attend the day? Children are most welcome to participate, however any person under the age of 18 is the responsibility of adults they attend with and needs to be supervised at all time. This is important when children are involved directly with planting as it is essential that the planting technique ensures the optimum chance for the plant to survive.

If I have registered but for some reason and am unable to attend on the day, should I notify the Project Coordinator? It would be greatly appreciated if you notify Helena Lindorff, Environmental Projects Coordinator. Knowing numbers assists in planning appropriately for planting and if the event is booked out, your cancellation may make it possible for someone else to attend.

What should I bring / wear? Please bring along old clothes, boots and a spare change of clothes. The site is located along a waterway. It would be most helpful to bring along gardening gloves. Make sure you clearly label your personal equipment.

What about meals on the day? Please indicate any dietary requirements when registering. To minimize waste, please bring your own water bottle, cup, plate and cutlery for lunch. Morning tea will given out at registration. However, if you wish to have a hot drink please bring your own thermos. Afternoon tea and a barbecue lunch will be provided by the Lions Club.

Accommodation for the Saturday night? There are a number of local motels, hotels, bed and breakfast , farm stays etc if you wish to stay the Saturday night. Please visit http://www.visitmoorabool.com.au/accommodation for further information.

How fit do I need to be? A reasonable level of fitness will be necessary for you to be involved in the planting activities. Tasks include, carting plants, digging holes, planting trees and watering with buckets. Usually there is some walking to do depending on the nature of the planting site. Jobs are allocated depending on an understanding of your fitness or physical capabilities. There are also important jobs that need doing that don‘t require much walking or physical activity, such as making up tree guards.

What about my safety? A thorough safety audit is prepared for the day. There will also be qualified first aid support at all times. All participants will also need to practise due care and take responsibility for their own safety. Don‘t forget to bring adequate sun protection, sturdy footwear and warm clothing.

Will there be public liability insurance cover? Yes, the organizing committee arranges normal public liability insurance for the day.

What will the weather be like? Being mid winter and the nature of the site, it is likely to be cold and maybe windy. We advise that you

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come prepared for all weather conditions, but highly recommend you bring along warm clothing. Visit www.bom.gov.au for more information about the weather forecast for the area.

Is the project environmentally friendly? Planting trees couldn‘t be any more environmentally responsible. We also ask you to bring your own water bottle, cutlery, plates, bowls and mugs to save on using throwaways. Even the food is sourced locally wherever possible.

Am I allowed to bring my dog to the planting day? For the comfort and safety of all participants, dogs are not permitted at the planting day.

Lost property? On occasions, personal items of clothing, drink bottles or planting equipment are left behind after the planting day. We will endeavour to return property but please ensure that you clearly identify all your personal items.

How will the day be organised? You will be allocated to a small team of about 15 people who will work together under the guidance of a team leader. The team leader will demonstrate the method of planting to be used on this site. Members of the team may be asked to help with tasks such as delivering and laying out of plants and tree guards in your nominated planting zone, assembling tree guards, planting in rip lines, installing tree guards, watering plants, quality control inspections and gathering of tools, spare plants and tree guards at the end of the day. Team members should be prepared to swap jobs and respond to team leader‘s requests during the day.

What about plant survival? Grow West have conducted community planting days for the past six years in partnership with VNPA, CVA, local landholders and the Friends of Werribee Gorge & Long Forest Mallee. The event has an excellent reputation, plant survival rates have been high (in most years at least 80% plants are still growing). However, plant survival depends to some extent on rabbit grazing pressure and rainfall after the event but, more importantly the quality of the initial planting. That is why at each site we have a recommended method of planting.

Who do I contact if I need answers to information not covered above? You can contact the VNPA office on 9347 5188 or Helena Lindorff, Environmental Projects Officer with the Port Phillip and Westernport CMA ph: 9971 6502 / 0437 195 511 / email: [email protected].

Supporters of the event:

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