Cranbrook School Tree Planting Outing to Tom South Lake – Tuesday 30th July 2019
Cranbrook Primary School Tree Planting Event Links Students to Landcare
The Cranbrook School Tree planting day held on Tuesday 30th July at Tom South Lake went well. Green Skills coordinated the provision of local native plants grown in the Katanning Landcare nursery, and guidance for the students on the day
The Gillamii Centre and the Shire of Cranbrook provided assistance in terms of planning and site preparation.
Forty or so students accompanied by several teachers and supporting adults from the Cranbrook Primary School participated in planting and watering around 1100 local shrubs and trees around the fenced off edge of the lake foreshore. Thanks also to the Jones and Williamson farming families for providing permission and support for the plantings. . This landcare project has been supported by the Koorabup Trust, Green Skills, Gillamii Centre, Shire of Cranbrook and the Cranbrook Primary School.
For a number of years bird enthusiasts including Steve Elson from Ongerup and others from BirdLife Australia have been surveying the birdlife of Tom South Lake, noting that it is an important haven for shorebirds including the threatened Hooded Plover, In 2018 Green Skills and the Gillamii Centre organised support for a 3.7km fence to be built protecting the foreshores of this lake from sheep grazing.
Last summer, it was noted that Hooded Plovers were breeding on the edge of the lake, the first time in years. The proximity of this lake adjacent to the main road between Cranbrook and Katanning makes it an ideal demonstration site to promote lake conservation to the broader Great Southern farming community.
Cranbrook School tree Planting Outing to Tom South Lake – Tuesday 30th July 201
