Summerhill planting day a hit
There was no sleep-in for keen environmentalists on Sunday morning as 70 people showed up to a planting day in Palmerston North.
The Green Corridors project at Summerhill has been going since 2001, with the aim to bring more birds into the city by building up greenery.
On Sunday, 1200 manuka and totara trees, as well as flax and other greenery, were planted near Cashmere Drive.
Green Corridors chairman Selwyn Yorke said the planting usually took place in winter, as the trees needed plenty of rain to grow.
Twice as many people showed up to the planting than in 2016, Yorke said.
The group plans to plant 10,000 plants every year with the help of the Palmerston North City Council.
Council sustainability officer Adam Jarvis said it was a joint effort between the council and volunteers.
Data from the council showed that in the past 10 years, bird life in Turitea had increased by about three times and more birds were finding their way to the city, Jarvis said.
Planting more greenery not only improved the environment, but it was also a great amenity for the public, who could walk through the planted areas, he said.
Volunteer Nathan Ram said the atmosphere at the planting day was great and it was good to get stuck into some environmental work.
Ram and Clemens Bergmann won a competition on Friday for their design of the new Green Corridors logo.
The design, a green and white representation of the Tararua Ranges and Manawatu River, beat 44 others.
Ram, who is a designer by trade, said the pair wanted to show bird life and greenery that lived around Manawatu waterways.
‘‘It’s just something we wanted to do for the love of it.’’
The pair won $500, which would be put back into helping the environment, Ram said.