Clean streams for Newport: restoring the Baobab wetland

The Baobab wetland has been used as an informal dump for years. This June, 89 neighbors turned up for a first cleanup, filling 181 bags in a single morning. Now we want to restore it for good. We have a plan agreed with the municipal water board, including native species selected by a local botanist. The area floods more each year, and fish have returned for the first time in a decade after our first cleanup. Restoring it will protect homes and bring back shade. All the labor is volunteered. We just need materials. Funds buy saplings, gloves, bags, hire of a skip, and signage. Where the $1,350 goes: • Native saplings and stakes: $450 • Tools and protective gear: $570 • Waste removal and skip hire: $270 • Signage and educational materials: $60 You're what makes this possible, and I'll never forget it.