THE Karuah River within the Karuah Township was being targeted for practical care by Conservation Australia recently.
From January 30, till February 3, volunteers undertook the removal of Mother of Millions (Bryophyllum sp) and bagged the seed heads, helping to reduce the spread of this toxic plant along the banks of the Karuah River.
They also tackled the Asparagus Fern, which was growing like a thick carpet along the riverbank, smothering other plants.
The Port Stephens Council oversaw the whole plan of the project, in conjunction with the Tidy Towns Committee and Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA), who supplied the labour.
The Karuah River has environmental significance and requires assistance because it is a major tributary of the Port Stephens estuary.
The invasive weed, Mother of Millions, is changing the understorey of the estuary area and therefore threatens the entire riverbank system in that location.
Conservation Volunteers Australia is Australia's leading organisation for practical conservation, completing more than 2000 conservation projects across Australia every year.
Team Leader for Conservation Volunteers Australia, Steve Travers, explained that community participation in the projects has resulted in more than 1.2 million trees being planted in the past 12 months and more than 10 million trees being planted over the past decade.
"Volunteering with Conservation Volunteers Australia is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, meet new people and learn new skills, while making a difference to the environment," he said.
Around 10 volunteers, including Secretary of Tidy Towns Karuah, Hope Simpson, and Deputy Chair of Tidy Towns Karuah, Enid Gentle, spent the first part of the week pulling out Asparagus Fern and Mother of Millions in Riverside Drive at Karuah.
There were eight people on Mr Travers's team, along with Hope and Enid, working on this particular project, but the volunteer teams work all over the Hunter.
"The Mother of Millions is toxic to horses and cows as they can eat the flowers and they can die," explained Mr Travers.
The Mother of Millions originated in Madagascar and was brought to Australia as a decorative houseplant.
Mr Travers added that if just one leaf blows off a Mother of Millions plant it would grow, as it is a succulent.
"We have to put it in bags when we weed it out for council to dispose of," he said.
"Most of what we have been weeding out has been the result of people's garden plants going crazy," he stated.
Mr Travers said the team would also like to hit the Karuah Wetlands to tackle the lantana and blackberry bushes.
As it is labour intensive work, Hope and Enid from Tidy Towns at Karuah are always looking for young, fit volunteers to help out on a Wednesday morning at the Boardwalk or the Wetlands, pulling out weeds.
If you would like to help, you can contact Hope on 4997 5627 or Enid on 4997 5603.
Mr Travers believes there will probably be a need for another sweep for the Asparagus Fern in the area in another two to three months.
Conservation Volunteers Australia welcomes everyone who shares a love of the outdoors and a commitment to the Australian environment.
To get involved, Freecall 1800 032 501 or visit www.conservationvolunteers.com.au
Mr Travers explained that a lot of the volunteers are from overseas and they come to Australia on a conservation holiday.
"Most of them have never done anything like this before and they end up travelling around Australia doing it," explained Steve.
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