Michelle Salter writes:
The soft earth that forms the banks of the Gelvert Stream has eroded as weather conditions, and dogs scrambling into the water, have caused soil to fall into the stream. This month’s task was to try and patch up one of the largest caverns that’s developed.
With the help of the tractor, we managed to drag a sleeper from further up stream and use it to patch up the lower part of the bank. A couple of posts were then sunk in front of the sleeper to hold it in place. We then gathered some supple willow trees from nearby and weaved them in and out of the posts to form a barrier.
The next task was to fetch a few trailers full of sand from the large pile behind Sandy Bay. This is sand that’s been dredged from the pond and is now being used to repair footpaths and stream banks. We needed plenty to plug the gap behind the willow barrier. Once it had all been pushed down into place, the job was done, and the hole repaired.
The next volunteer work party is on Sunday 13th June and may well entail further stream bank repairs.