Sep 28, 2015
Hands for Earth
William Last with Sheree Lowe and Michelle Marks conducted an introduction talk at the Merredin Community Gardens last weekend as part of the Merredin Sustainable House Day tour.
William showed us a short, but very powerful video presentation and then told us how it all started with HFE and how many community members come along and make a huge difference to our Peak area.
The name ‘Hands for earth’ was created by the group and represents ‘hands on.. for mother earth’ and was established in 2014 William and Michelle Marks of Western Reptile Rescue Inc have been exploring the reserve and photographing it’s wildlife and flora since Since 1986 William spoke about how Hands for earth was born. That as a local wildlife photographer and spending a great deal of time in the area, he was continually seeing the build-up of rubbish in and around Merredin peak. Over the years, this build up, as well as the disappearance of some of the animals that we had been photographing over that time, some of which we had photos and records of for 6 years or so. Then seeing different animals using rubbish as homes instead of their natural habitat and seeing piles of rubbish discarded in amongst wild flowers which is one of our main tourist attractions.
He went on to say: The different people we have involved are wildlife and rescue groups who have also been in touch with department of parks and wildlife, the local wild flower society, and as the Merredin Peak is part of Narji Narji land we approached the Narji Narji elder here who is also part the group now. Many likeminded people who care about the Merredin Peak are becoming interested and offering to help out with its conservation.
William said “I would like to see other rural areas take on a Hands for earth project if they think they need one and maybe we can make a difference somewhere else, maybe Australia or even world wide Hands for Earth is not about who to blame for the rubbish being there in the first place. It’s about cleaning it up and getting the job done. Restoring the bush back the way it was. If there is any artefacts of historical value, the area gets assessed to either be left alone, relocated or preserved.
Relocating animals temporarily and keeping them safe while we remove the rubbish and making sure they have a home in the same place if possible after things have been cleaned up.
Having a low impact while the clean-up and conservation is being done… If we do our job right there will be no impact on any wild life or flora.
During the clean-up any wildlife and reptiles are recorded and details documented. Photographing the wildlife we find so we get a good idea of what’s there and which animals are being affected by the rubbish.
Who can get involved – community groups and individuals who just want to help out and make a difference. People interested in the documentation and scientific side and researching. Anyone wanting to help with media, or people who just want to put on a pair of gloves and become involved onsite.
Approximately every three weeks we get together early on a Sunday morning. We meet at the Railway Dam and go for a easy walk lead by Michelle of Western Reptile Rescue who manages to show us all something new along the way. The children love to see the animals and reptiles we find and learn a little about them.
About 45 minutes later the walk finishes back at the dam where a delicious breakfast of cereals, fresh fruit, yoghurts, rolls and juice, tea and coffee are being prepared. A small donation for breakfast is very welcome and helps us pay for the next one.
After breakfast we head over to a previously marked off area at the Peak and fill the trailer with rubbish. With all the helpers it only takes about an hour to fill and we go home feeling very pleased with our efforts.
HFE started nearly 12 months ago and have achieved cleaning up large areas of Merredin Peak with the help of many community members and have officially adopted the Merredin Peak area.
