The plantings at the Port Bowen Reserve will include trees, shrubs and grasses. Photo / Bevan Conley
The plantings at the Port Bowen Reserve will include trees, shrubs and grasses. Photo / Bevan Conley
Volunteers are needed for a community riparian planting day at the Castlecliff Domain next week.
The planting area, known to locals as Port Bowen Reserve, is at the end of Seafront Rd below Karaka St.
The plantings are part of the Healthy Streams initiative, a community project led by WhanganuiDistrict Council in collaboration with iwi, Horizons Regional Council, Department of Conservation, Ministry for the Environment, charitable trusts including the Whanganui River Enhancement Trust, commercial businesses and landowners.
"The Healthy Streams initiative is targeted at improving the water quality of stormwater run-off and natural watercourses by planting with native plants," Whanganui District Council senior stormwater engineer Kritzo Venter said.
"The plantings at the Port Bowen Reserve will include trees, shrubs and grasses, which have a meaningful carbon sequestration value, especially within the context of changing land use to riparian waterfront and wetlands."
Horizons Regional Council Whanganui freshwater co-ordinator Scotty Moore said it was hoped many more stream restoration projects to improve water quality and native fish habitat in urban waterways would be completed in the coming years.
"The Port Bowen Reserve is at the head of the Waiwherowhero watercourse, which is important habitat for threatened native fish such as banded kōkopu," Moore said.
"Overall, the Healthy Streams initiative is anticipating more than 7000 native plants will be planted along Whanganui urban streams this winter with funding from the Ministry for the Environment's Mahi mō te Taiao/Jobs for Nature programme."
Venter said the Healthy Streams programme aimed to enhance and expand Whanganui's natural habitat, "with the added benefit of aligning with our district's aspirations to reduce our overall carbon emissions".
"The initiative has made great progress thanks to the work of Horizons and our community partners. The support from the wider Whanganui community for our planting-day events has also been outstanding."
The Port Bowen Reserve planting day is on Monday, May 23, starting at 9.30am, and refreshments will be provided. For more information about the Healthy Streams initiative go to www.whanganui.govt.nz/healthy-streams
