The STEP AGM will be held on Saturday 7 November 2009 from 5.00 – 7.00 pm at the CIAG Board Room on site at the Canberra International Arboretum and Gardens.
All members and non members welcome. Light refreshments will be provided.
News
News from the STEP garden
October 2009 Newsletter
The STEP newsletter for October 2009 is now available.
Included in this addition:
- Notificatino of AGM
- STEP Events calendar
- Information on the STEP working bee
- Geology, Soil and Water Flows: digging into the Soil Survey for the STEP site
- A report on the STEP Wetland Project
- Volunteers from Conservation Volunteers Australia come to work on the STEP project
- Water Flows into STEP Ephemeral Wetland
- Thirty year old seeds successfully germinated for the STEP forest
- Tree of the month: Eucalyptus delegatensis
Download the October 2009 Newsletter here.
Membership Renewals
It’s that time of the year again when STEP membership renewal for 2009/2010 is due.
Your ongoing support for STEP is much appreciated. Please download and complete the form and post it to the membership officer with your cheque. Donations would also be appreciated.
Floriade 2009 at Commonwealth Park Canberra
Come along to the Floriade in Canberra this year. STEP is presenting information about our project as part of the Friends of the Canberra International Aboretum and Gardens Display at Floriade this year from 12 September to 11 October. We are located in the cottage that is part of the Bonsai Display, on the fence near the Archbishops Residence. Do drop by and say hello.
STEP Tree Planting Ceremony
On the 15th of March STEP hosted a tree planting ceremony at the Canberra International Arboretum and Gardens on Block 100. The first tree was planted by the Chief Minister, John Stanhope, followed by students from a Evatt Primary School, members from the planning committee of the ACT House of Assembly and STEP members and friends.
What is an Arboretum?
An arboretum is a plantation of mixed species, established for comparative and educational purposes. Numerous arboreta were established in the ACT during the early stages of the city’s development. See the FACTA website for more information:
‘Friends of the ACT Arboreta’ .
STEP thanks supporters
Last month, Jon Stanhope MLA, Chief Minister made the decision to give the STEP Project the resources needed to make our vision a reality within the Arboretum. We wish to thank him for his trust and belief in our vision. And we wish to thank every one of our members who have supported STEP during the last seven years. Your efforts have been vital to creating our project. Please keep your support for us going through the next phase.
Thanks to all the individuals who…
A warmest thank you to the individuals who helped including Geoff Robertson, David Shorthouse, Andy Russell, Warren Saunders, Seeds and Plants Australia, Hanna Jaireth, Margaret Ning, Jonathon Banks, Mary Porter, Mick Gentleman, Brian Cumberland, Greening Australia, Michel Bedingfield, Sarah Fethers, CSIRO Australian Seeds Centre, environment ACT, Maxine Cooper, Sarah Sharp, Jo Walker, Rainer Rehwinkel, NPS, Lainie Shorthouse, Jocelyn Plovits, Sherry McArdle-English, Shirley Pipitone, Alan Ford, Ingrid Adler, An Van den Borre, Paul Jannsens and many more…
Landscape Designer Assesses Block 100
When STEP was first offered a site at the International Arboretum, there were three possible blocks to choose, Block 100. 101 and 102.
After receiving advice, from John Nightingale, a well known Canberra horticulturalist and landscape designer, we selected the Block 100, for stage 1, being very happy to take his excellent advice. John drafted a report comparing the three sites and recommended that the Committee select Block 100 for the first stage of the STEP project. This became the basis for our discussions with the Executive Director for the Arboretum Project in 2007.
Ground Breaking Decisions for Block 100
David Shorthouse, Warren Saunders and Cathy Robertson went on site at Block 100 with Adam Burgess, the Curator for the Arboretum on 23 December 2008 to discuss the preparation and planting requirements for Block 100.