Tree Identification and Seed Collection with Ursuline College

Chantal Lucarelli and Sue Coristine's classes from Ursuline College participated in a seed collection and tree identification event at the O'Neil Nature Preserve, formerly known as Paxton's Bush, March 28th.  The classes were shown unique feature of some native species found within the forested area including Red Oak, American Sycamore, and Black Walnut. Due to the extended seed collection potential of American Sycamore seeds, the group was able to learn about and participate in seed collection. The seeds were brought back to school grounds where they will later be planted and grown in the school greenhouse. 

Mosa Central Public School Seeding Event Marks Largest Event to date for CTI Program

The entire student community from Mosa Central Public School participated in large seeding event March 26th on school grounds.  178 students, ranging from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8, learned about the importance of conservation and habitat restoration through informative presentations and hands-on activities.  The students were able to test seed quality, learn about soil properties and planting techniques, and explored many types of native tree seeds and seed preparations methods. The seed used for planting and demonstration purposes included Eastern Redbud, Burr Oak, Pin Oak, Honey Locust, and Hackberry. Individual trays were planted and the students allowed to bring their newly planted seeds home. The event was a great success and was the largest of its kind for the Community Trees Initiative to date.

Blenheim High School Seeding Event

16 students from Mrs. McDowell's Biology class from Blenheim District High School participated in a seeding event for the Community Trees Initiative March 23rd.  The students learned about the stratification needs of Eastern Redbud seeds and tested seed quality for Pin Oak seeds.  Using the seeds from Pin Oak and Eastern Redbud, two native species of the Carolinian Zone, the students planted five Styrofoam trays. One tray will remain in the classroom to allow students to observe the growth stages of the plant over the course of the spring season.

John N. Given Seeding Event with Grade 6 Students

Mary Park's Grade 6 class from John N. Given Public School participated in an introductory lesson March 22nd and seeding event March 29th.  The students were very knowledgeable about environmental issues and were eager to put that knowledge into practice.  The 24 students each potted seeds in their own container to grow, tend and bring home to plant on their properties.  The students also planted 4 trays of Pin Oak which will be used in future restoration projects.

The Grade 3 Class from McNaughton Ave. Public School joined the efforts

The Grade 3 class, taught by Joscelynne Leach, from McNaughton Ave. Public School joined us at the municipal greenhouse March 22nd to learn about the importance of greening our community.  The group of 17 students, 9 parents and Ms. Leach were very eager to learn about the techniques used to prepare and plant tree seeds.  The group toured the greenhouse and were able to see a variety of Carolinian species in many stages of growth.

March Tree Planting with CKSS Environmental Club

8 members and 2 teachers from the CKSS Environmental Club joined us for the first planting event of 2012.  The heat encountered this month has enabled us to start planting early.  The group joined us at a property near Merlin, Ontario to assist with a re-naturalization project around the edge of a pond that was put into place approximately 4 years ago. They planted 100 American Sycamore and 50 Black Walnut Trees at the site.  The Black Walnut trees were grown by the group from seed through a cold-frame seeding event the year before.  The Community Trees Initiative Program has allowed the group to see the full circle of the seed to tree process and utilize those trees for a restoration project. The environmental club has been a great participant for the Community Trees Initiative and we hope to include them in many more projects to come.     

Community Living Chatham Enjoys the Greenhouse Experience

Seven volunteers from Community Living came out to the municipal greenhouse March 20th to plant native tree seeds. The volunteers tested seed quality using the float test and planted 8 trays of Red Oak, Pin Oak, Paw Paw, and Blue Vervain. They were very excited to be working in the greenhouse and asked many welcomed questions.  They were able to see the progress of a seedling grown by their group the previous year.  Don Hector, recently retired from Stewardship Kent, also joined us at the greenhouse for the seeding event. Thanks to the recent high temperatures, the plants in the greenhouse have rapidly sprouted and have a become a nice sight to see.

Upcoming events are:
March 21st - Tree planting with Chatham Kent Secondary School Environmental Club at a restoration site near Merlin Ontario
March 22nd - Two seeding events with Grade 3 at McNaughton Ave Public School and Grade 5/6 at John N. Given.  
March 23rd - Seeding event at Blenheim District Secondary School in Mrs. Kerr's classroom.

Ursuline College loyal participant

Ursuline College is participating in the Community Trees Initiative again this year. Mrs. Lucarelli and Mrs. Coristine's classes were involved in both the introductory lesson and seeding event March 7th and 9th.  The 27 volunteers learned about careers in the environmental field and developed the skills needed to restore our environment back to a healthy state.  The students were eager to plant the seeds and will be able to observe the growing process in the school greenhouse over the next few weeks.  They planted 7 trays with Honey Locust, Eastern Redbud, Common Hackberry, and Grey-headed Coneflower. They will be participating in a seed collection event for American Sycamore in the week following March break.

Univeristy of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus learns about growing native trees

The University of Guelph's Ecological Principles in Horticulture class, taught by Cassandra Stabler, participated in the Community Trees Initiative March 8th at the Ridgetown Campus.  They learned about producing native trees and shrubs to solve problems in the real world for projects such as restoration, roadside management, and landscaping.  The two-hour long lesson included both an in-class and greenhouse session where they learned about seed identification and preparation techniques.

Two classes from Wallaceburg District Secondary School participated in CTI Seeding Events

Two Environmental Science classes from Wallaceburg District Secondary School participated in classroom seeding events March 6th.  The 27 students from Mrs. Fox's class learned stratification methods used to prepare Honey Locust seeds for germination.  The students learned about testing seed quality using the cut test and float test to obtain the best crop of seeds for planting.  They planted 8 trays of American Sycamore, Honey Locust, and Paw Paw, as well as 3 trays of Indian grass and Grey-headed Coneflower. A location is currently being planned for a planting event later on this spring. 

Victor Lauriston Public School 'greens-up' their classroom

Students from two grade 3 classes at Victor Lauriston Public School participated in a classroom seeding event March 5th.  The 42 participants each planted their own container with American Sycamore seeds which will be grown in the classroom window sill where the students will be able to observe the progress of the growing seedlings.  They also planted a tray of Black Oak seeds which will also be available for students to tend to throughout the spring months.  The students were very knowledgeable and understood the environmental issues facing our community.  They loved participating in the event and were eager to share their own tree-related experiences.

Young volunteers from Community Living's Children's Respite home helped fill the greenhouse with trays of native trees

Five volunteers from Community Living Chatham's Children's Respite home joined us March 3rd at the Municipal Greenhouse to plant trays of American Sycamore, Common Hackberry, and Red Cedar.  The participants were eager to get their hands dirty and are looking forward to see the progress of these plants later on this spring.   

Blenheim District Secondary School learned the importance of restoring tree cover along the LTVCA watershed

Mrs. Kerr's Environmental Science class from Blenheim District Secondary School were eager to participate in the Community Trees Initiative.  The class participated in the introductory lesson which covered the importance of trees for our health and the health of the environment.  The students prepared Honey Locust and Common Hackberry seeds for their upcoming seeding event which is scheduled to take place March 23rd.

Lambton Kent Secondary School students stratify and plant seeds

Mrs. Bruette's class from Lambton Kent Secondary School participated in the introduction lesson and seeding event March 1st and 2nd where the students gained hands-on experience stratifying and planting native tree seeds.  They learned about the types of stratification needs for an array of native trees and put their knowledge to practice on Eastern Redbud and Common Hackberry seeds. The class planted 6 trays of native tree and prairie species.  The trays will be kept in the school greenhouse to enable to students to observe the growing seedlings and tend to them throughout the next couple of months.   

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.