Kempsey Shire Council working with Nestlé has began rehabilitating and revegetating a section of Macleay River. This is possible due to Nestlé funding the project with a $44,000 donation.
Nestlé Smithtown selected this project as its 2004 contribution to the Nestlé Community Environment Program. The Nestlé Community Environment Program is a way for each of Nestlé’s factories and distribution centres around the country to help improve the environment within their local communities.
Factory Manager at Nestlé Smithtown, John Miller, said the company was proud to be a part of such a valuable community development.
“The Macleay River is one of our community’s most valuable natural resources and we are proud to have a hand in restoring this area back to the native vegetation and provide an educational area for schools and visitors,” he said.
The Lower Macleay Floodplain is now almost totally covered in weeds along the Macleay River’s banks. The native plants that do remain are all subtropical rainforest species, which characteristically occupied the rich lowland alluvial river flats in northern New South Wales.
This project will enable revegetation of the area with plants that typically occur in lowland coastal rainforests. The new flora will include a mixture of native trees and shrubs. Weeds have been removed and existing trees, exotics and natives left intact. Weeding and planting will take place in stages over an extended period to allow for adequate maintenance and follow up weed control.
Kempsey Shire Mayor, Councillor Janet Hayes, is pleased that the project is going ahead.
“This project is a critical first step toward rehabilitating the beautiful Macleay River,” she said. “We are looking forward to getting involved and working together as a community to turn the banks of the Macleay River into a recreational area we can all enjoy.”
