JAN Richards’ passion for the preservation of native plants at Ledge Point beach is infectious, spreading through town, and bewitching residents and visitors.
Ms Richards has spent countless hours down on the shore weeding and picking up litter, and others are following suit with up to 45 lending a hand at a Clean Up Australia Day event last year.
The ultimate goal is to regenerate the dunes that have been affected by wind and pesky plant species that were introduced decades ago.
The Ledge Point Coastcare Group has already secured several grants to ensure its environmental work continues but another for $2000 from Landcare was recently announced.
The Advocate met Ms Richards while she was out taking cuttings of native plants last week. The workshop, made possible by one of the grants, was attended by two other environmentalists and run by the Northern Agricultural Catchment Council (NACC).
“We take clippings of the plants as part of the propagation process,” she said.
“It was great to have someone from NACC here because I have tried this before but told not all the clippings were usable.
“This way we know what we are looking for and we will be more efficient. These clippings will be sent off to be grown and they will be ready to be planted in June in one section of the dunes that used to be used for bonfires.”
Ms Richards said the Landcare grant permitted them to proceed with the propagation process.
She estimated the money would allow them to plant about 800 plants later this year.
Ms Richards, who studied marine biology at university, became protective of the dunes years ago when she saw what was happening to the native plants amongst them.
“I came up here with friends and I noticed that paths had been cut through the dunes and those paths had blown out,” she said.
“The wind had also blown the sand and deposited it on top of the natives, and killed them.
“The weeds are so destructive here and some of them were introduced in the 1950s with good intentions, but they are doing more harm now.”
She said one species grows up to 3m long and lays across the top of the native plants, and prevents them from getting any sun.
People are invited to help plant the natives on Sunday, June 24.
For more information, call Ms Richards on 0409 885 574.