Friends of Yellow Gums Ocean Grove, a new community group, was formed at a well-attended public meeting this week.
The purpose of the group is to protect and enhance the environmental values of the Yellow Gums estate on both public and private land through community education and engagement.
Presentations were made by Matt Crawley (Bellarine Environment Network), Jeanette Spittle (City of Greater Geelong), Barry Lingham (local naturalist), Noel Emsell (Ocean Grove Rotary), Tony Reilly (the developer and a Yellow Gums resident), and residents Guy Dutson and Margaret Alcorn.
There was much interest expressed in the history of the land that is now the Yellow Gums estate and how to enhance its environmental values.
Examples of the types of activities that this group may undertake include running environmental community days, helping garden owners make their gardens more attractive to the local wildlife and sharing wildlife observations such as ‘There is an echidna in my garden’.
The group will also be assisting the City of Greater Geelong to manage the soon-to-be-created Bellarine Yellow Gums Nature Reserve, an eight-hectare area in the centre of the Yellow Gums estate, which protects a large stand of Bellarine Yellow Gums, a local sub-species of yellow gum endemic to the Bellarine Peninsula.
Anyone who would like to become involved can contact Margaret Alcorn on friends.yellowgums.oceangrove@gmail.com
