If lockdown blues are getting to you and you have time on your hands, get fresh air, exercise, and support your community by volunteering with Friends of Kloofendal Nature Reserve (FRoK).
FRoK is a group of volunteers who meet once or twice a week early morning and assist with removing alien invasive plants (AIP) in the Reserve. They give an hour or longer of their time on a Wednesday and Friday morning to help take out invasive plants before they reach the stage of flowering and throwing their seeds to propagate more plants in the following season.
“When asked why I do this, I tell folk that the early-morning air in the reserve is very calming and makes us appreciate the gem we have right here in the middle of the city. Seeing the sun come up over the Little Falls Ridge is stunning. The smell of the ground early morning especially after a good shower the previous evening is pure Africam,” said FRoK’s Helene de Villiers.
The reserve is an absolute gem in the middle of the city and just a few hours given every week ensures that it will be there for future generations. Pulling invasive plants is a great way to get a light workout. You bend, you stretch, you reach out and at the same time you are doing something constructive. You learn about plants – good and bad – and whilst working, one has the opportunity to see a wide variety of animal life.
The alien invasive plants are a big problem as they successfully replace our indigenous vegetation, they use a lot of water, some poison the ground and water in their vicinity, and the indigenous animals mostly cannot utilise these plants. If these alien invasive plants do not get removed, the Reserve will be overtaken by them. FRoK does get help from a small JCPZ team on occasions but every hand is of great assistance.
To get involved, contact Karin Spottiswoode on 079 693 5608 or go to the Reserve on Wednesday and Friday mornings at 07:30. The eco-gardening lasts about two hours and all one needs is a pair of durable shoes, a bottle of water and a weeding tool.
