Young green thumbs pitch in

Young green thumbs pitch in

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The School National Tree Day at Federation Park in Serpentine attracted a large number of volunteers. Photograph – Aaron Van Rongen.

Forty children and their parents came together last week for a mammoth gardening job along the banks of the Serpentine River.

School National Tree Day was held on July 27 at Federation Park in Serpentine and attracted children from Byford Child Care Centre, local home schoolers, Eton Farm Education and other primary schools.

Each volunteer donned a shovel and a can-do attitude to successfully plant 1500 sedges and shrubs close to the riverbank in an area that had been fenced off to fauna and controlled for weeds.

Greening Australia chief executive Brendan Foran said the organisation had been working at the site with Alcoa for the past six years removing arum lily from the riparian area and planting native species to attract two threatened bird species, Carnaby’s black cockatoo and the red-tailed black cockatoo.

The event was organised by Serpentine Jarrahdale Landcare natural resource management officer Kristy Gregory.

It was also supported by the Serpentine Historical Society, the Mundijong Public Library, State National Resource Management Program WA and local business Maddington Toyota.