This afternoon close to 17,000 native plants arrived at Parklands, ready for planting in local sites this autumn and winter.

These plants will allow local volunteer stewardship groups to restore native vegetation in local parks and bush reserves around Albury Wodonga, as well as further out along the High Country Rail Trail and the Hume and Hovell track.

Additionally, Parklands Rangers will plant into planned restoration sites with a variety of volunteers who come to Parklands via many different paths; as individuals with an interest in the environment, through the Green Army and work placements, and through workplace volunteering.

Our aim, with these many hands, is to have these seedlings in the ground and off to the best start by September.

This annual planting stock is funded through the diverse range of income streams that Parklands creates in order to continue our social enterprise. This includes partnership projects with local businesses like Lester and Sons; contract land management activities by our Rangers; partnerships with local organisations like the Wodonga Urban Landcare Network; project grants from the state Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning (DELWP) and federal government programs such as the 20 Million Trees program.

They certainly create a splash of green freshness in the Parklands depot after the long and dusty months we have been through. Their potential as habitat and increased biodiversity in the hills of Albury-Wodonga is exciting, and we look forward to plunging in to planting season.