War declared on ivy

A CHILLY, wet day wasn’t enough to keep volunteers away from the ivy blitz at the headwaters of Ferny Creek on 4 July.
Families from Ferny Creek Primary School, neighbouring property owners and members of the Friends of Ferny Creek collaborated to remove choking weeds from the creek environs.
Yarra Ranges Council generously supplied the skip bin, which was soon filled.
Ferny Creek is home to beautiful remnant vegetation, much of which is endangered and needs protection.
The area also provides critical habitat for two species of amphipods, burrowing crays and black carnivorous snails.
Meanwhile, foxes, rabbits and increasingly deer play havoc with the native fauna along the creek.
Ivy, wandering trad, blackberry, holly, sycamore and sweet pittosporum are also becoming increasingly problematic in the Dandenong Ranges and efforts at a grassroots level are vital to get on top of the invasion.
For the school, the removal of the weeds means the creek can be restored to its rightful state for the children to learn from and enjoy.
The mud-covered participants, over a cup of soup, discussed further working bees to remove more weeds along the creek.
This would help ensure a positive result in the long term, through allowing revegetation to occur.