Supreme Winner TrustPower Waipa Community Awards 2011
The summer months have been a busy time for the Tuesday group who have met regularly each week. Under new leadership a cracking pace has been set for this year our 20th. The themes of CONSOLIDATION, PLANNING and PLANT PREPARATION have been to the fore in our weekly work The nursery at Thornton Rd is an absolute picture and full of healthy plants just waiting for the rains to arrive before we start planting them out around Cambridge. Our aim this winter is to complete as many projects that have been on going for a few years as we possibly can. Our Tuesday group reaches 14 on our best days and we would welcome others to join us. We have lots of laughs and good company.
NURSERY WORK this summer has concentrated on preparing plants for the winter planting program. There has been spraying, seeding, cutting propagation, weeding and potting on and we now have a very full nursery that is an impressive example of what volunteers can do to change the local environment. Leslie "green fingers" Wood is our champion propagator and has many trays of cuttings thriving in the shade house and regularly these are re-potted for later planting.
PLANNING
Much discussion has taken place over the summer on key planting projects for this winter and our plant needs for each assessed. This has meant nursery purchases of proteas, renga renga and rhododendrons for Lake Te Ko Utu and hebes, grasses, heritage fruit trees for Lola Silcock Park.
FUNDING for PLANNED PROJECTS is listed below.
Under the guidance of Joan we have been very successful in the last 6 months in gaining funding from various trusts and organisations. Examples of this in the last few months have been $2000 from the Logan Campbell Trust for a picnic table, hebes and heritage fruit trees on the Lola Silcock project, a further $500 from the Dr George Marshall Trust for the Lola Silcock terrace project, $2000 from Cambridge Rotary for four seats on river terraces, money for four new truck tyres from Cambridge Lions, $500 from Trust Waikato money from Pub Charity for administration costs and building maintenance, a $1000 from the Hewitt Foundation. Winning the Supreme Award at Trust Power Waipa Community Awards we picked up another $1500.
HIGHLIGHTS OF 2011 so far:
The opening of Lola Silcock Park and celebration of 20 years of CTT existence was an official occasion which raised the public profile of CTT. A few weeks later three of our committee attended the annual TrustPower Waipa District Community Awards evening in the Cambridge Town Hall. After having won or been runner up of the Heritage and Environment award for seven years since 2000 we were blown away to receive the Supreme Award. The citation read that it was acknowledgment of the twenty years work that CTT has undertaken to create and improve tracks, create parks and plant trees and shrubs around town. In my acceptance speech I commented how lucky I was to lead such a bunch of enthusiastic volunteers who ably led by Brian Mayo in the past have undertaken so much positive environmental change around Cambridge. We received a large certificate, a huge trophy and $1500 and now have to prepare a 5-7 minute video on our work to present at the National finals in Ashburton in March next year. Whew!!
INFORMATION AND PROMOTION VISITS.
The CTT committee decided that this year our work should be actively promoted to our local representatives, so two visits were arranged in March one for the Community Board and another for Councilors. They involved meeting at the Nursery to view that, then having a morning tea and then being shown 4-5 key project areas that we have worked on. Many of our guests were blown away by what we have achieved. It was an excellent PR exercise that already has borne fruit in many small ways. We are now truly in partnership with WDC and many positive spin offs have occurred.
NEW TRUCK.
This is proving an asset and now that it is sign written is proving to be a mobile advertising agent. It is invaluable for Brian's work with the Corrections Department teams and for the committee on Tuesdays to shift plants, tools, firewood, potting mix etc. With new knobbly tyres being installed it will prove very useful this winter in accessing our planting sites.
THE LOLA SILCOCK PARK ON BATH ST.
We are now in the third year of this 5 year project and the transformation here of a weed-covered rubbish wilderness to grassed terraces, with seats, picnic tables and year old plants has been remarkable. It is being well used and is attracting much favourable comment. Throughout summer John Davies has sprayed regularly to control weed growth and any shooting of roots, branches from privet, acacias, willows and silver poplars. A number of site meetings with WDC staff and our own members has resulted in a skeletal planting plan which is evolving as new ideas and information is processed.
The Community Board accepted a CTT presentation from our chairperson Don Willoughby in November that the whole project area be called the Lola Silcock Park in memory of our only life member. WDC have made signs acknowledging this and it is now officially gazetted.
Early this year we settled on a date to hold an official opening ceremony and to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We had excellent co-operation from WDC in preparing for this event. For a month prior to the April 16 opening much work was undertaken by CTT clearing the top of the bank behind the Warehouse and the Service Centre, spreading mulched chips and planting.
Despite the rain, the unveiling of the Lola Silcock Park sign, the cutting of a ribbon to officially open the whole park and the planting of a tree was shared by invited VIPs Mayor Alan Livingstone and MP Louise Upton assisted by members of the Lola Silcock family. It was quite a moving day. The CTT came out of the whole day with great credit and speeches acknowledged the 20 years work that CTT had done on tracks, trees, parks and gardens.
Profile Farms. As a result of our visit to an outstanding riverbank revegetation project on three farms just downstream from Findlay Park we met with the project manager Kate Findlay and at our invitation she has visited our Lola Silcock Park project and come up with many new ideas and a plan of attack for the next two years. Essentially we will spray, mulch and plant on the banks and terraces and our challenge is finding the huge source of sawdust/chipped mulch that will be required for stage two. Any source suggestions would be welcome.
RIVERVIEW (at end of Shakespeare St above the Kauri Grove). Our planting here with the assistance of Correction Department teams has been a 2010 success story. There has been incredible positive public feedback. It looks a picture. 2011 will see completion of infill planting here, maintenance like weed control and pruning and further spreading of autumn leaves and chipped mulch.
RIVER TERRACE. This area below 31 Shakespeare St was heavily worked on last year. Brian Mayo and his Correction department teams have continued to cover this area with mulch and infill planting will occur this winter. The terrace is now in lawn and regularly mowed by WDC and with Rotary money a seat has been located here by John Davies and his efficient team. The view of the Waikato River and Victoria Bridge is stunning from here.
SAFFRON SWALE. This area is looking great and the track and new bridge put in by WDC has been a major success. We have on-going infill planting, maintenance and weed control in this area through 2011. We will replant with ONLY those species which have so far survived there.
LAKE TE KO UTU. This winter we will make a major push to plant many of the banks here. Already we have purchased plants for this and they are growing on in our nursery. Spray, mulch and plant will be the process here. Planting of the area around the new steps in the flow form area has been planned with plants waiting in the nursery and this may be a task for PD teams under Brian's supervision.
POET'S TRACK . After 2010 slips had closed this track there was much discussion with Council on how to open it up again. Hence a new track has resulted and although quite steep does enable a loop to be maintained. It has a new sign post and we intend planting this new track during this winter.
DOMINION AVE. We intend to replicate the Pope Terrace planting at the top of the river bank opposite the skate board bowl.
VICTORIA BRIDGE ABUTMENT will be planted this year.
NOEL ST EXTENSION. A new link track has been built off the end of Noel St and there is a planting opportunity here on the edge of wetlands for secondary growth shrubs and trees.
STREET PLANTING. The majority of the planting of large trees as discussed between CTT and Rob Sinclair in 2009 has been competed. We still have many large trees in our nursery which require a home in 2011. Any ideas please?
DAFFODIL PLANTING. The planting of 9000 bulbs around Cambridge in 2008 had a brilliant spring impact and we have heavily fertilised these bulbs since then so there should be an even better show this coming spring. We have planted more bulbs in Lola Silcock Park.
MEADOW WALK. The idea of creating a Meadow Walk from River Gardens to Fletcher Place has been mooted for a number of years. Barriers to this project have been access over two properties in Marlowe Drive where the owners have illegally extended their back boundaries to occupy reserve land to the river bank and the grazing lease of the fragile river scarp on the Green Belt. There has been much discussion with WDC staff and progress is being made and a resolution of the problems here looks to be possible but only after considerable lobbying and angst by CTT members. Numerous stiles and marker posts will need to be erected.
2011 is shaping up to be a very productive year for the Cambridge Tree Trust and we hope that in partnership with the WDC this will continue into future years. Please get involved in some of the many projects that will be ongoing this year.
Don Willoughby
Chairman
Cambridge Tree Trust
