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Birds and bugs return to the banks of the Mighty Duck River
Young trees are growing well at Duck River
A newly-planted seedling in an area cleared of weeds
New planting along riverbank
Two hundred years of use has taken a heavy toll on the Duck River in Sydney’s west, but the dedication and hard work of a group of volunteers means the riverbank is once again teeming with life.
Small areas of bushland and an 11-hectare patch of the endangered ecological community, Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest, stood their ground through decades of farming, urbanisation and heavy industry along the Duck River – a major tributary of the Parramatta River.
So in 1999, the Mighty Duck River Restoration Collective set out to not only help this vegetation survive, but also expand its territory with corridors to connect each patch.
Funding
In 2003 the Australian Government gave the Collective more than $10,000 to help in its endeavour.
Activities
With further support from the NSW Environmental Trust, Parramatta City Council and many local residents, the Collective has over the years planted more than 10,000 native trees and shrubs and helped the bush to regenerate.
“We set up areas where community volunteers could plant trees and were able to employ bush regeneration contractors to expand the existing areas,” Collective Coordinator Megan Kessler said.
“Unlike many rural catchments where you can use machinery to plant row after row of trees, here it all has to be done by hand.
“Bit by bit, we have managed to join up vegetation along two kilometres of the river, in a 20 to 40-metre-wide corridor, and undertaken a number of other small plantings within the catchment.”
Achievements
Megan said the work had made an enormous difference, not just to the vegetation, but by bringing wildlife to the area.
“When we first started we recorded five bird species, and at last count, we recorded more than 60 - including the Azure Kingfisher and the Black Shouldered Kite,” she said.
“There also was only one species of ant, and we now have a huge range of ant species and other invertebrates, which is a good indication that the soil has become really healthy.”
Megan said the water quality in the Duck River had also improved, but the biggest achievement had been to see the tremendous community support.
“There used to be open grass right to the river banks. At the time people didn’t see this as an issue, but now that the changes are evident, the feedback has been amazing,” she said.
More information
- Megan Kessler, Mighty Duck River Restoration Collective Coordinator: 0418 420 608 or mdrrc@hotmail.com
- Judy Christie, Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority: (02) 9895 7753 or judy.christie@cma.nsw.gov.au
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