Locals Create Koala Habitat - Cudgen Lake

The local community turned out in force last Sunday to help WetlandCare Australia, Friends of Cudgen Nature Reserve and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service plant over 950 koala habitat trees at Clothiers Creek Road. This was the first in a series of community tree planting days to be held at the Clothiers Creek Road site and is part of WetlandCare Australia’s Coastal 20 Wetlands Project, funded by the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country Program.

The tree planting at Clothiers Creek Road will not only enhance Koala habitat but will also improve connectivity between the natural environments in the Cudgen Lake catchment. The morning proved to be a great success with over 50 volunteers planting all 950 trees by midday. Even a Koala turned up on site to oversee the proceedings from a nearby Brush Box tree. The Cabarita Beach & Pottsville Beach Lions Club supported the event by providing a sausage sizzle to feed the hardworking community participants. 

The success of the tree planting event was a direct result of a strong collaboration between the partner organisations and the local community. Adam Gosling, Regional Coordinator at WetlandCare Australia, said “This is a great example of what can be achieved when everyone works together towards a common goal. WetlandCare Australia could not have achieved such a great result without the collaboration and support of Friends of Cudgen Nature Reserve, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the local community”.

Cudgen Lake is one of the 20 iconic Australian coastal wetlands part of WetlandCare Australia’s $2.5 million Coastal 20 wetlands restoration project, funded under the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country program. The Coastal 20 project is working to restore coastal wetlands spanning from Gladstone in southern Queensland down to Kempsey in northern NSW. “Cudgen Lake has significant environmental, recreational and cultural values and is home to many threatened fauna and flora species. WetlandCare Australia is undertaking sustainable on-ground works and supporting the local community to protect and restore the Cudgen Lake Catchment” said Mr. Gosling.

WetlandCare Australia would like to thank everyone who came along to support the day. The success of the event demonstrated the strong community spirit present in the Cudgen Lake Catchment and the future is looking bright for this newly created patch of Koala habitat.

For more information on the Coastal 20 project contact:

Eli Dutton, Project Officer on 02 6681 6169 or elidutton@wetlandcare.com.au. www.wetlandcare.com.au