A GROUP of volunteers from the Skorpion Zinc Mine, calling themselves the Enviro Junkies, recently joined members of the Aus Community Conservation Trust and members of the Karas Regional Council based in Lüderitz to landscape the area in front of the Aus Information Centre in the remote historic settlement of the South.
The hot summer sun did not deter the group, who made sure that as much as possible was achieved from the crack of dawn to clear brush and plant indigenous vegetation at the historic landmark, which serves as a information centre to tourists on their way to Lüderitz, the Sperrgebiet and other scenic routes in southern Namibia.
Children from the settlement of Aus joined the children of Skorpion employees to pick up shards of glass and rubbish to make this area a safer, prettier and cleaner space.
Last year the Anglo Skorpion Foundation gave N$200 000 for the building of public toilets, the creation of a parking lot and fencing.
As part of a community project, Skorpion Zinc employees volunteered their time to clear and establish a garden consisting of young quiver trees and other plants indigenous to the southern Namib.
Plants rehabilitated from mining activities at Skorpion Zinc mine and those in the nursery at Aus were used to plant the rocky slopes leading up to Aus Information Centre.
The centre is a project of the Community Trust and aims to promote Aus as a tourist attraction, with a rich history spanning centuries of local and German legacy.
Ambitious future plans involve a museum and guided tours to interesting sites. A quaint coffee shop and nursery with plants for sale are the current attractions.
