Needed: 2000 Plants to Restore a Local Stream
Community Article
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Needed: 2000 Plants to Restore a Local Stream
Our community can get behind the restoration of native ecosystems, as part of the earthquake recovery, by sponsoring a metre of stream planting in East Christchurch.
Ngāi Tahu and the Avon-Ōtākaro Network are partnering with Sustainable Coastlines’“ Love Your Water” programme to plant a wide area of stream bank in July 2016. We are crowd-funding to cover the costs of this next stage and are aiming to plant alongside 680 metres of a small tributary stream that connects Travis Wetland with the Ōtākaro-Avon River near to New Brighton. This area was dramatically affected by the earthquakes, including significant land subsidence, changes to the water table and tidal zone, and increasing sediment impacting the natural drainage here. Stream courses have changed, and areas that used to be dry are now permanently inundated with water, or have tidal fluctuations that never used to reach those areas.
Riparian planting will help restore habitats, in particular supporting Inaka( whitebait). The aim is to restore native ecosystems and to educate young people about the ways that plants, waterways and the land can provide sustenance, resources, and safe and clean habitats.
Funds raised through this crowd-funding campaign will see another 2000 plants planted along the ANZAC Drive site this winter, in the southwest corner of the reserve. People can sponsor a metre of native stream regeneration for less than $ 25. How do you know the project is reputable and in it for the long haul? Million Metres only work with credible Field Partners and projects with systems in place to ensure plants are put in the ground, the plantings get after-care, and importantly ensure changes in stream water quality are recorded. All Field Partners have signed an agreement stating that – so you can be sure that the plants you pay for will survive into the future. http:// millionmetres. org. nz / open-project / otakaro-avon-restoration-project
Every metre counts towards the million metres goal. Choose the stream project you want to support. Your donation qualifies for a tax credit and does not attract GST! Please get in behind this ambitious local project this month!
Sarah Butterfield Avon-Ōtākaro Network