Turn to Wonder

Scottsdale was established in 2006 as a Bush Heritage Australia conservation reserve. The property is situated 65 kms south of Canberra on the Monaro Plains near Bredbo, NSW – Ngunnawal, Ngambri and Ngarigo country.

Around 300 hectares of this property had been cleared for farming, so Scottsdale is often a hub of volunteer activity, as teams of volunteers work to support a project restoring natural vegetation to the cleared area. It's been a privilege to join in this work as a volunteer and I (Neil) was involved in my first tree-planting day with a small class of kids and teachers from Cooma Steiner School. Here we are in action. A good drop of rain two nights previously had helped to moisturise the soil.

Each planting involves a small sapling (mixing local species), a pair of hands, a hole, a fertiliser pellet, some water crystals, a biodegradable tree-guard and stakes, a trowel, a mallet, and a bucket of water. It's all in this photo (except for the hands!!).

Here they are. Hands! Large and small - carting, digging, patting, pouring...

And here's what it looks like when it's done.

Scottsdale is home to a remnant of Australia’s last ice age, the Silver-leafed Mountain Gum. Adapted to a time when this part of the world was much drier and colder, just 10 populations of this little mallee tree are thought to exist in Australia, and it is vulnerable to extinction. Most of the trees planted on Scottsdale are propagated on site by Kim and some volunteers using seed gathered from local species.

Wrapped around Scottsdale’s northern and western flanks is the Murrumbidgee River, which cascades over natural rock weirs and through deep tree-fringed pools. The Upper Murrumbidgee Demonstration Reach (UMDR) is a partnership supporting the recovery of native fish in the river.

Scottsdale protects endangered box-gum grassy box woodlands and temperate grasslands. It also harbours many rare birds, animals, fish and reptiles. These photos below come from my second day of planting, this time on the edge of an existing box-gum woodland. The soil is more rocky here.

Smoko with Kim (chief propagator) and volunteers.

It's encouraging to see the rows of little green tree guards growing longer and wider.

Since Bush Heritage purchased the land in 2006, the site has been a hub of activity. Land managers, ecologists and volunteers have all worked hard to bring life back to the land, doing everything from survey work along the Murrumbidgee River to removing fences, tackling invasive weeds and planting native grasses, shrubs and trees.

‘To try and rebuild the ecological function and integrity, and to maintain the cultural importance of this place… starts with putting a tree in the ground,’ says Scottsdale Manager, Phil Palmer.

‘Every plant is not only going to turn into habitat for wildlife, but will support carbon sequestration, soil health, and reintroduce genetic material – all helping to send this reserve on a trajectory of recovery.’