Students plant 1000 trees across the Geographe Catchment to celebrate National Tree Day

Schools across the South West have celebrated National Tree Day with GeoCatch by planting more than 1000 trees across the Geographe Catchment. Students from Capel Primary, Geographe Primary, Busselton Primary, Busselton Senior High School, and Bunbury Regional Community College took the opportunity to connect with nature. The students learnt about remnant vegetation, habitat construction for wildlife, and how they can positively impact the environment around them. “We hope to improve habitat for the critically endangered western ringtail possum and to provide school students the opportunity to be part of the solution,” said Nicole Lincoln from GeoCatch. Ms Lincoln told the students their actions in planting native trees were helping the survival of the iconic local species. “The biggest threat to western ringtail possums is habitat loss and fragmentation,” she said. “The more trees we can plant now, the more habitat there will be for ringtails and other wildlife in the future. “Through National Tree Day, these students are creating a legacy of conservation that we hope they will continue to value into adulthood.” The tree planting was possible with the funding from Busselton Toyota. “Busselton Toyota is proud to have been involved in Schools Tree Day for many years, it’s a great opportunity to teach children from a very young age how to care for and protect our natural environment,” said Dealer Principal from Busselton Toyota, Laurie Saltarini. This is the fourth consecutive year that GeoCatch has undertaken planting at this site. This year’s planting was designed to infill under story species and peppermint trees to provide a home for possums and so that they can move safely between trees.