THE LOCAL region was a hive of environmental activity on Sunday, June 5 with some 600 trees planted along the coastal foreshore in Coolum. Plantings along the dunes have been constant with the first planting taking place in the 90s. Following major bush fires on the dunes between Coolum Beach Surf Club and Stumers Creek in the 1990s, it was noticed that invasive weeds were taking over the area. Local community members which included Janette Wallis, Leigh Warneminde and Debora Voss, together with Chris Jonkers from Council, decided that one way to suppress the weeds was re-establishing tree and vegetation cover. To help achieve this they engaged Coolum Primary School students and teachers to assist, and the ‘Millennium Project’ was born and aimed to plant 2000 trees in the year 2000. Some 2021 trees were planted that year. Twenty-two years on and as part of Sunshine Coast Environment Council’s World Environment Day Festival, and with the assistance of Sunshine Coast Council, another 600 seedlings were planted. Over the past six years, more than 6,500 trees have been planted on the dunes.
In addition, some participants were fortunate to hear volunteer Colin talk about the marine turtles that choose to nest on Sunshine Coast beaches. A big thank you to all involved and those who came out and volunteered their time to further preserve our coastal region.