Koala-tree effort beats record

Liz Hope and Janine Duffy at Little River. (Louisa Jones) 246007_07

Volunteers are planning to plant 800 koala-friendly trees at Batesford just a week after their biggest plant day yet at Little River.

The Koala Clancy Foundation and 32 volunteers planted nearly 1500 trees last weekend, bringing their total so far this year to almost 11,000.

“We have passed the halfway mark of our big target for 20,000 trees around the greater Geelong area in 2021,” foundation president Janine Duffy said.

Koala Clancy Foundation had actually hoped to reach that target early this month, until Victoria’s most recent lockdowns hit, Janine revealed.

“It’s set us back by 5000 trees,” she said.

The foundation has planted 31,000 trees since 2016 with the help of volunteers like Williamstown’s Liz Hope, pictured, in its bid to restore habitat for our nation’s most-beloved marsupial.

Liz has planted about 400 trees in her two years with the group.

“We’re running tree-planting planting days around the Geelong area every weekend until mid-September – COVID-dependent,” Janine said.

Details: koalaclancyfoundation.org.au