A SECTION of Oak Beach’s foreshore is getting a makeover with a weed control and tree planting project to get underway this week.
Douglas Shire Council’s coastal maintenance and rehabilitation team will start working along the foreshore area at the northern carpark of the beachside suburb.
About 500 native plants will planted at the site after crews manually and mechanically remove weeds.
Identified weed species being removed include Mother of Millions (Bryophyllum spp.), Guinea Grass (Megathyrsus maximus var maximus), Mother in laws Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata), Snake Weed (Stachytarpheta spp.), and Lantana (Lantana camara).
Project Manager Melissa Mitchell said the area was identified for improvement during recent public consultation about the foreshore management plans.
“This is another great project made possible by the Queensland Government’s $10 million Reef Assist Program, which has allowed our team to treat about 1.28 hectares of weeds and revegetated local coastal areas with 1884 native plants,” she said.
“We are really excited for the community to enjoy the benefits of the great work our team is doing at our region’s foreshore.”
Starting this Thursday, the team is scheduled to be on site at Oak Beach one day per week with work expected to be finished by the end of August.
Council was successful in receiving $445,000 under the Reef Assist program for dune protection and maintenance works.
The Reef Assist Program is delivering priority environmental projects and creating around 130 regional jobs for unemployed and underemployed Queenslanders in the Wet Tropics, Burdekin and Mackay Whitsunday Great Barrier Reef catchment areas.
The Douglas Shire project, which will see more native vegetation at various beaches, is expected to improve resilience to natural disasters and reduce run-off to waters and the Great Barrier Reef.
Other upcoming projects include the installation of bin stands and native tree planting with the Traditional Owners at Cooya Beach.
