Lions Hard at Work: The Croke Place Wetlands Project..

In November 2020 four Lions clubs of northern Canberra agreed to undertake an environmental project caring for the area around the Ginninderra Creek from the Lake Ginninderra spillway to a footbridge 900 metres downstream. The area included the recently completed Murray Darling Authority and ACT government funded wetlands which aims to clean stormwater before it enters Ginninderra Creek.

The goals of the land care project were to:

• Improve the environment by planting trees and attracting birds;

• Provide a physical working bee for Lions and a recreation facility for walkers;

• Generate community interest in the local area and in Lions.

The Lions-led activity is meeting its goals – the environment is improving with weeding and judicious bird-attracting plantings. It has provided an immense amount of pleasure for those who undertake activities at the site and it regularly draws favourable comment from those visiting, whether walking with their family or dog, picnicking, relaxing as they sit and look across the wetlands and listen to frogs, or traverse the area on their way to or from the city. And, perhaps best of all, it is attracting local citizens to the land care group, to assist in the development and maintenance and to also provide ideas for what might make the site even more attractive.

We have benefitted from the expertise of a range of people – scientists, bird watchers, photographers, authors of local environmental publications – and from the dedication of a band of regular contributors.

Year 5 students of Miles Franklin Primary School visit the site fortnightly as part of their International Baccalaureate studies and they are a marvellous sight – full of energy and keenness to explore the site and to learn about its inhabitants. Local specialists in subjects such as frogs, birds, water health, grasslands volunteer to talk to the students.

The land care site offers opportunities for commercial entities to hold ‘corporate team building’ days by undertaking selected weeding and planting activities which it is hoped will lead to company and individual ‘ownership’ over time.

While the volunteers remove woody weeds with hand tools only, nature does its work in a grander fashion. But advantage can be taken, and a handy seat can be made from a fallen tree.

There is much that can be done at the land care site but progress is limited to the numbers of volunteers available and the support of the government through the catchment group, noting that there are 28 other land care groups in the Ginninderra catchment. A water trailer will soon be provided and it will carry all the paraphernalia that an effective land care group needs. The weather over the last 18 months has been especially kind, and growth at the site – of wanted plants and not wanted weeds – has been spectacular. Dry times will return and the trailer will assist the volunteers in the watering effort as more and more native plants replace the weeds.

All in all, the landcare site brings cheer to those who volunteer there, who fish or walk, bicycle, push a pram or just walk. Some fail to see and hear the delights that the area has to offer because they insist upon listening to their earphones or pods, or are focussed on the path ahead as they struggle with their mission of completing an intended tally of steps. But others, me amongst them, get enormous pleasure from hearing the frogs’ chorus, the birds presence – often loud like the cockatoos or silent like the Tawny Frogmouths – and the smiles on peoples faces as they can freely wander in this green and growing place.

18 months later, with the support of the government through their Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate, and the Ginninderra Catchment Group, the Lions project at Croke Place has developed into an attractive haven for walkers and for birdlife.