Kids reclaim Myrrhee bush

Source: Wangaratta Chronicle 30.08.08

MYRRHEE Primary School students are giving their local surrounds a major makeover, with the help of the State Government’s Good Neighbour program.

As part of their curriculum, the school’s 18 students are hand weeding and removing all the invasive weeds and trees like pine tree wildings and pittosporum from their grounds and replacing them with native species.

Parks Victoria is lending a hand by extending their environmental renovation into the adjoining Myrrhee Reserve, which was heavily infested with blackberries and sweet pittosporum.

Work began in April this year with local contractors employed to do the labor intensive work of cutting each individual sapling down and painting the stump with herbicide.

In keeping with environmental concerns, only frog friendly chemicals are being used.

School principal Geoff Lacey and teachers Robyn Kilgour and Marcelle Gerish are all working with their students on the project, and are very pleased with the results to date, on both sides of the school fence.

According to local Parks Victoria ranger, Terry Kingston, it’s a long term project.

"We got rid of about 25 per cent of the weeds in the reserve in this first stage, but it’s going to take quite a while to return the whole area to its former vegetation," he said.

"The key to success is to keep removing the dominant weed species so that the native plants and seedlings get a chance to thrive, and reclaim their territory."