Partnerships in Landcare
Partnerships in Landcare
Lake Parramatta Bushcare Kayaking
Stronger Together -
LLCI012-002
The issue
Lake Parramatta and Hunts Creek is one of the most intact area of native vegetation in the City of Parramatta local government area and is connected to bushland in the adjoining Hills Shire. The lake is a clean freshwater swimming spot located in the geographic centre of Sydney, which is a testament to the healthy natural processes in the lake and surrounding bushland.
When a volunteer from Friends of the Colo noticed a significant infestation of coral trees on a remote edge of the lake out of sight of the council Bushcare staff, they contacted a Local Landcare Coordinator at Greater Sydney Landcare Network. GSLN approached City of Parramatta, who are network members, about the infestation.
The solution
A partnership was facilitated by GSLN between City of Parramatta Bushcare staff and volunteers, who have been actively restoring Lake Parramatta for the past 25 years, and Friends of the Colo who have been actively controlling riparian weeds across south east NSW for 20 years
City of Parramatta Bushcare organise the volunteers and bushcare supervision whilst Friends of the Colo supply kayaks, rafts and paddling gear, their skills at managing on-water activities and tools to control weeds on the waters edge. Together they have prepared a Bushcare Site Action Plan for the project and the council co-ordinate the work done by the volunteers with aquatic and bushland weed contractors.
Towards the end of the first year of the project Greater Sydney Landcare Network were made aware of potential funding from Landcare Australia and the Royal Bank of Canada’s Blue Water program. The funding could pay for contractors to do some of the “heavy lifting” in controlling the densest infestations at one site at the lake.
The impact
The program has four Sunday morning activities a year with between 10 to 20 volunteers. They have controlled the mature Coral Trees and Box Elders in the first two years and are now doing follow up weeding and are controlling Ludwigia, Privet and Senna scattered along the waters edge. The project has included some plantings but mainly natural regeneration. Once the trees that shade out the natives were treated, the native bushland started to recover.
Key facts
- A coral tree infestation was identified on Lake Parramatta.
- GSLN facilitated a partnership between Parramatta City Bushcare and Friends of the Colo to address the problem.
- Volunteers undertook restoration on the lake as a result of the partnership.
- A grant was secured to conduct follow up work by contractors.
- Partnerships and skill sharing between groups made this work possible.