All media are invited to attend a community planting day for the official opening of Conservation Week, at East Valley Reserve in Westmorland on Sunday the 1^st of August.

In attendance will be Minister of Conservation Dr Nick Smith, David Carter MP and Christchurch Mayor, Garry Moore.

East Valley Reserve is located between Ravensdale Rise and Worsleys Road. It has been identified by Council Parks Planners as a potential "Core Wildlife Area."

The project is a co-operative effort involving the Christchurch City Council, Rotary and the Westmorland Residents’ Association.

The planting of 2500 native trees in the reserve will help the re-establishment of native flora in the area, says City Council Parks Project Co-ordinator, Steven Gray.

"It will play a key role in linking the reserves in the Summit Road region with

the urban fringe and will extend the habitat of wildlife that has been eroded in recent times."

Not only are the trees native but they are endemic to the area. We hope eventually to remove much of the exotic vegetation and return this and the other reserves to something that is closer to their natural state," he says.

Combining the resources of the Council and residents groups will benefit Christchurch as a whole says President of the Christchurch Rotary Club, Terry Donaldson.

"We hope that this joint effort by Rotary, the Council and Westmorland residents will help signal a commitment by community groups to plant new and significant areas of native trees."

For Further information

Steven Leiataua

Park Ranger 025 226 – 7450

Steven Gray

Parks Project Co-ordinator 941 8256

Terry Donaldson 358 – 1747 a/h 3519 683

President Rotary Club of Christchurch

Programme for 1^st August, 1999

Meeting point: Opposite 323 Worsleys Road

8.30 am Committee arrives

Rangers arrive

9.30 am Tree planters arrive and start planting

10.30 Ross Skinner, President of the Rotary Club of Christchurch Sunrise

Welcomes everyone Particularly

• Nick Smith MP
• David Carter MP
• Garry Moore Mayor
• Christchurch City Council Councillors
• Members of the Wigram Spreydon Community Board
• Westmorland Residents’ Association
• Rotary District Governor, Art Bradbury Members of several Rotary Clubs: Christchurch, Christchurch Sunrise, Ashburton Plains, Avonhead, Christchurch West, Papanui, Riccarton
• Friends of Rotarians and Conservation

Special Thanks to

• Wigram Spreydon Community Board
• Rotary Clubs
• Westmoreland Residents Association
• State Insurance
• The Salvation Army

As a result of the funds raised for the day, there will be a small surplus of $400 which is being put towards a computer for the Salvation Army Team in Kosovo

10.40 am Garry Moore - speech

10.50 am Ross Skinner introduces Nick Smith, Minister of Conservation

10.55 am Nick Smith

Official Opening of Conservation Week

Official Tree Planting

Ross Skinner to close the official part of the day