Wallaceburg District Secondary School Learns the Value of Trees

Two Environmental Science classes from Wallaceburg District Secondary School participated in a presentation about the value of trees.  The students participated in answering important questions like "What benefits do trees offer?" and "How can we help the environment?".  The students finished the information session by learning about Honey Locust seeds and extracted them from their pods. The class learned about stratification methods and will put them in practice to prepare the seeds for the seeding event on Wednesday February 29th.

Community Living Chatham joins in the seeding efforts for a second year in a row.

Five volunteers from Community Living's Riverview Day Program joined in the efforts again this year to help green Chatham-Kent.  The eager group loved getting their hands dirty during the event where they planted four trays of White Oak and Tulip tree seeds. The group came out to the Municipal Greenhouse February 22nd.  They are looking forward to joining us throughout the year for planting and seed collection events.

Stay tuned for an update on next weeks events with Wallaceburg District High School.

Chatham Kent Secondary School Life Skills class planted acorns!

The Chatham Kent Secondary School Life Skills class planted five tray of Burr Oak and Pin Oak on February 21, 2012.  Fourteen volunteers, many of whom had volunteered with the Community Trees Initiative in past years, were very excited to get their hands dirty and plant some tree seeds.  The group expertly tested seed quality, planted the Oak seeds, and learned about the importance of water. 

ESPC

École Secondaire de Pain Court participated in a french language presentation and seeding event on school grounds  February 16th.  The group of 27 students from geography and environmental courses were eager to plant American Beech, American Sycamore, and a variety of Oaks.  They are also going to participate in a presentation about common native species of Southwestern Ontario in upcoming weeks.

Stay tuned for an update on future seeding events with groups such as CKSS Life Skills, Community Living and Ursuline College.

CKSS environmental club kicked off the first seeding event of 2012

Eight members of the CKSS Environmental Club, headed by Mr. Williams, came out to the Municipal Greenhouse facilities February 15th to launch the seeding events of 2012. The students discussed the importance of caring for the environment and the things that could be done to decrease human influence.  During the event, the students planted White Oak and Black Oak seeds as well as Red Cedar seedlings. They are looking forward to a tree planting event in up-coming months.

It's Seeding Time!

It's that time of year again! Our native tree seed has overwintered and is now ready to be planted.  We are starting to book seeding events for school and community groups for the month of February.  Check back for an update on these events as they happen.  Looking forward to another great year ahead.  

Union Gas employees celebrate through seed collection event

As part of their centennial celebration, Union Gas awarded the Community Trees Initiative program $34,177.83 to help provide school and community groups with the opportunity to learn about the seed to tree process.  In celebration of this anniversary, eight Union Gas employees participated in a seed collection event at Maple Leaf and St. Anthony's Cemetery and Mausoleum Saturday November 19th, 2011.  The seed collection event allowed employees to experience the Community Trees Initiative first-hand.  Mark Egbedeyi-Emmanuel, Union Gas district manager for Windsor/Chatham, was present at the event as the Union Gas representative. The participants experienced a nature walk around the cemetery grounds learning about tree identification and collection of tree and prairie seeds.  They collected seed from Black Walnut, Redbud, London Plane and Sycamore.

CKSS Life skills class plants 360 prairie plugs

Two life skills classes from Chatham-Kent Secondary School planted 360 prairie plugs on November 17th as part of a prairie restoration project on River Line.  Despite the cold weather, 15 students and 5 teachers eagerly joined the efforts to plant the diverse array of species including Big Bluestem, Sneezeweed, and Grey-headed Coneflower. During the two hour event, students also worked in teams to lay mulch around an area of young trees and learned about the benefits that mulch offers.

Cold Frame Seeding Event with CKSS Environmental Club

A group of seven students from Chatham-Kent Secondary School participated in a cold frame seeding event hosted at their school on November 9th.  The students learned about factors seeds must overcome in order to reach germination, including thick seed coats, moisture levels, and temperature requirements.  The group of eager students planted two frames of Black Walnut, two frames of Honey Locust, one frame of Sugar Maple, and one frame of Indian Grass.  When spring arrives, the students will be able to observe the growth and progress of the seedlings.

Check back later this month for an update on an upcoming prairie plug planting with Chatham-Kent Secondary School's Life Skills class on November 17th.  

Thank you to our sponsors

Thanks to the support of our sponsors, the Community Trees Initiative program is able to continue teaching student and community groups about the seed to tree process and its importance for our environment.  The stewardship skills instilled in our volunteers will enable a bright and healthy future for the community of Chatham-Kent. The program sponsors are:

The Greening Partnership                      

Union Gas

                                    

EcoAction

Prairie plug planting with CKSS environmental club

The environmental club at CKSS has joined us for another event this fall. The prairie plug planting event took place October 27th at the Diversion Channel in Chatham, Ontario.  Nine students participated in the event to help establish a tallgrass prairie along the channel. 

The CKSS environmental club will be participating in a cold frame tree seeding event November 9th which will take place on school grounds.

Check back to read more about this, and other, up-coming events. 

Fall seed collections and plantings have begun!

The CKSS Environmental Club led by Gord Williams and Michael Warren participated in a prairie seed collection event at the Turin Paw Paw Woods October 17th. The site history and ecological importance was highlighted during this event.  After introducing them to the species of forbs and grasses found within the prairie, the students eagerly ventured into the grasslands to collect seed. The species collected include Indian grass, Big bluestem, Little bluestem, Mountain Mint, Wild Bergomot, and grey-headed coneflower.  

They will be joining us for upcoming events in the next few weeks including a prairie plug planting and a cold frame tree seeding event. Stay tuned for these events and more happening this fall.

Tree planting with Ursuline College Students

Trees were planted at Lion's Park in Chatham June 8th with the help of Mrs. O'Brien's grade 11 Environmental Workplace class and two of Mrs. Lucarelli's grade 11 Biology classes. The Municipality of Chatham-Kent prepared three plots within the park, located on Stewart Street, for the planting. The students planted Sycamore, Elm, and Red Oak seedlings throughout the plots in the park.

Thanks to our sponsors

It is with great thanks to the sponsors of the Community Trees Initiative that we were able to fill the greenhouse with native tree, shrub, and prairie species this spring. The sponsors include Sobeys CEF, Municipality of Chatham-Kent, Stewardship Kent, and Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority.

Tilbury District High School gets the ball rolling for 2011 tree planting events

The grade 11 Environmental Science class from Tilbury District High School lined out and planted native trees and shrubs on April 18th. Despite the cold and snowy weather, they planted 222 trees at Northside Park in Tilbury. The students held high spirits and showed lots of enthusiasm during the two hour event. Their efforts will be enjoyed in years to come by future generations who visit the park.

CKSS goes for the green!

Two groups from CKSS participated in a seeding event April 6th which took place at their school. 11 members from the Gord William's Environmental Club, and 10 students from the Life Skills class planted 17 trays with native tree, shrub, and prairie species. These included Sassafras, Blue Vervain, Sneezeweed, Virginia Mountain Mint, and Swamp Mallow. The students were very eager to get their hands dirty and plant a diverse array of seeds. The trays will be stored in the greenhouse facilities and later planted in the community. This group marked the last of the seeding events for this year. The next step of the initiative is to get outside and plant trees in areas around the community.

Chatham Christian School

Mr. Michael Hoekstra's grade 8 class from Chatham Christian School participated in a seeding event April 1. The students were excited to go outdoors and learn the proper techniques to plant native tree seeds. Their class learned about the importance of trees on air and water quality, their effects of soil quality, as well as the importance of preserving native species. The class of 19 students planted trays of American Sycamore which will help fill the municipal greenhouse facilities.

Tilbury Disitrict High School

Mr. Steve Stephenson's grade 11 Environmental Science class joined the efforts to green Chatham-Kent Apr 1. The 17 students that participated in the event planted 10 trays of American Sycamore and Ninebark. The students were very enthusiastic about planting the seeds and learning about the ways they can help the environment.

Victor Lauriston Public School

Two grade 3 classes from Victor Lauriston Public School participated in a seeding event held at their school March 30th. The students were very enthusiastic to learn about the seed to tree process and observe it first hand. The students planted 45 peat containers with American Sycamore seeds. The containers were placed in the classroom window where their growth can be easily tracked. The seedlings will be sent home toward the end of the school year and allow the students to help with the initiative and green the community.

Community Living Seeding Event

The 7th group from Chatham's Community Living participated in a seeding event at the municipal greenhouse facilities March 30th. The group of volunteers planted 1 trays of Red Dogwood, 1 tray of Ninebark and 7 containers with Black Walnut.

Ecole Secondaire de Pain Court

Mr. Roger Daniel's grade 9 Geography class participated in a seeding event at their school Monday March 28th. They planted 4 trays of American Sycamore, 2 trays of Shagbark Hickory and 2 trays of Red Dogwood. The plants will be tended by students at the school greenhouse facilities where they will later be planted on school property.

Participants from the Riverview Day Program develop stewardship ethics

8 volunteers from Community Living's Riverview Day Program developed stewardship ethics during the seeding event Monday March 28th which was held at the municipal greenhouse facilities. Steve Parr, a local substitute teacher, also joined the efforts to help fill the greenhouse. Together, they filled 7 trays of native shrub and prairie species including Button Bush, Ninebark, Red Dogwood, and Penstemon digitalis.

Community Living's Riverview Day Program

7 volunteers from Community Living's Riverview Day Program joined us at the municipal greenhouse facilities where they helped plant American Sycamore and Shumard Oak. They are excited to return to see their growing seedlings in upcoming weeks.

Ursuline College Grade 11 Biology

A third group from Ursuline College helped with the initiative to green Chatham-Kent. Mrs. Lucarelli's grade 11 Biology class took part in a seeding event March 22 which took place at their school greenhouse facilities. Their class planted 2 trays of ninebark, 2 trays of red dogwood, and 2 trays of american sycamore.

Lambton-Kent Composite School

The students from Mrs. Michelle McFadden's class at Lambton-Kent Composite School participated in a seeding event greenhouse March 22. The event, which took place at their school greenhouse, taught them the techniques used to plant and care for native tree and prairie species including Shumard Oak and Penstemon digitalis.