11 July 2007. Over 15 Bega Valley landholders gathered on a two hour farm walk to see the impressive results John and Sue O’Brien have achieved with corridor tree planting and riparian weed control on their property, ‘Moama’, near Moran’s Crossing.

John, a fourth generation dairy farmer, demonstrated to others how he had successfully integrated native vegetation management into a productive farm enterprise.

“During the drought the corridors provided excellent stock shelter and I noticed that grass growth was more vigorous in the shade provided by the native trees,” he said.

“I have also seen a significant increase in the number of small native birds on the farm since I started planting in 1999. I even saw a platypus for the first time in years the other day.”

John described to others how it is important to get the right advice and to tackle large projects in small steps. Bega Valley Shire Council’s Vegetation Recovery Officer, Jock Waugh, was on hand to offer practical assistance along the way. John and Jock shared their experiences about the work and some of the challenges they had encountered.

The walk concluded with a morning tea and a chance for everyone to chat and catch up.