Fynbos & pathway rehabilitation block 5&6
The vegetation in Brackenridge’s first two burn blocks has bounced back: take a walk from the new reservoir along block 5, then down the steps and across the Bitou Glade road and into block 6 and you will see the fruit of a combined effort by the estate’s maintenance teams, our ECO, and some residents who have spent a considerable amount of time and money to initiate and maintain various projects.
The first of these projects were the two Fynbos berms and a number of tree clusters that were established in block 5, along the newly constructed pathway. The estate made available funds to buy a selection of indigenous fynbos plants and provided the compost, and then Angela, Debbie and the Home from Home team under their guidance helped with the planting.
Both berms are now regularly weeded, temporary water pipes have been installed and a number of residents from adjoining properties kindly assist with the watering that will be required until the summer heat subsides. Thank you to Adrian, Lisa, Marie and Francois for helping us with this!
The next step taken was the thinning out of Bitou vegetation and the planting of another tree cluster in block 6 – a project which Debbie has taken on. Similar to the approach in block 5 her efforts are two-fold: a considerable amount of ‘hands on’ gardening by the volunteer herself is complemented by the use of her privately paid gardening staff. In block 6 the recent engagement of the AIS removal team has been of particular relevance.
Finally, Brackenridge’s operations manager Eldred and his team have now reconstructed the steps leading down to Bitou Glade road at the end of the pathway. This could only be done once the necessary work on th epathway had been completed by the contractor responsible for the reservoir project (in the main: dealing with some deep sinkholes along the trench line, and re-compacting of the pathway itself). The result is an easy-to-walk pathway with a few steps that leads up the embankment and blends into the natural contours.
A big “Thank you!” to everyone involved, and in particular to our tireless volunteers Angela and Debbie who continue to dedicate a lot of time, own ressources and hands-on effort to help with the rehabilitation of some of the open natural areas that are enjoyed by everyone!