Great Blue Heron Announced As Peterborough's Official Bird At EnviroX

The great blue heron has been crowned Peterborough’s first official city bird during the Environmental and Climate Action Expo (EnviroX) at Beavermead Park on Friday.

Photo by Felicia Massey.

EnviroX at Beavermead Park and Ecology Park brought together community partners and municipal workers to teach about initiatives and projects that lead to greenhouse gas emission reductions. They also taught greater environmental sustainability through demonstrations and displays.

Bird Friendly Peterborough (BFP), an organization dedicated to creating Bird Friendly Cities, spoke at EnviroX about the City’s commitment to monitoring bird populations and mitigating any threats.

Earlier this year, it was announced that Peterborough is recognized as a Bird Friendly City.

Nature Canada’s Bird Friendly City program certifies cities throughout Canada based on meeting a set of standards pertaining to reducing threats to birds in their municipality, protecting and restoring natural habitats and increasing climate resiliency. Bird Friendly Cities also actively engage their community in these protective and restorative initiatives through education and outreach.

All photos by Felicia Massey.

“You only have to walk down trails along the Otonabee, or through Jackson Park to realize that these urban-protected areas host dozens of species year-round,” said Thomas Luloff, Bird Friendly Peterborough vice chair. “They (urban spaces) serve as vital corridors and stop-over places for migratory birds back and forth.”

Luloff, who is also a conservation biology professor at Fleming College, spoke about a big part of becoming a Bird Friendly City: choosing a bird to represent the community.

A community vote took place from Aug. 2 to Sept. 5 for residents to select their favourite local bird species from a list of 16 local birds curated by BFP.

Among the list included many birds, such as the osprey and Northern cardinal but the blue heron came out on top.

“I think the Great Blue Heron is the perfect choice the Peterborough City bird,” said Luloff. “They are resilient; being able to adapt to changing environments, and are found all along out Otonabee River, its waterways and throughout our local marshes and parks.”

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Photos: High School Students Stage Protest For Climate Action

Students from Peterborough Alternative & Continuing Education (PACE) staged a walkout from school and protested to spread awareness about climate change as part of a movement named “Fridays for Future” at Confederation Park on Friday.

Photo by Luke Best.

The students were part of the Youth Leadership in Sustainability program held in partnership with Trent University.

Aisling MacQuarrie,16, is a Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School student who is taking Youth Leadership in Sustainability. A program that prepares grade 11 and 12 students for leadership roles in sustainability initiatives at the local and global levels. Photo by Luke Best.

“In 2019, the city announced a climate crisis and they also committed to reducing greenhouse gases by 40 per cent by 2031. We're here to remind them of that promise and make sure they're upholding and making actions to get there,” said Aisling MacQuarrie, grade 11 student. “We wanted to try to make more of a difference in our community.”

Fridays for Future is a youth-led global climate strike movement that started in August 2018 when then 15-year-old Greta Thunberg began a school strike for the climate.

For three weeks leading up to the election, she sat outside Swedish Parliament every school day, demanding action on the climate crisis.

Mayor Diane Therrien encouraged the students in their protest and movement before heading to the Peterborough Environmental and Climate Action Expo (EnviroX). Photo by Luke Best.

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Otonabee Conservation To Plant Over 30,000 Trees For National Forest Week

Otonabee Conservation is celebrating National Forest Week by planting over 30,000 trees and shrubs this fall season.

Photo courtesy of Otonabee Conservation.

National Forest Week from Sept. 18-24 encourages Canadians to learn more about forest heritage and increases awareness about the value of forests as a fundamental part of our culture, traditions, economy and history.

Each year, Otonabee Conservation celebrates with tree plantings across the watershed. Plantings will take place through the fall season, not just during National Forest Week.

The Otonabee Conservation will plant over 30,000 trees and shrubs with the help of a number of community partners, including including City of Peterborough, Township of Douro-Dummer, Selwyn Township, Siemens Canada, NEFAB, Skyline Developments, LCBO, Peterborough Humane Society and students from Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board secondary schools.

These plantings are supported financially through Tree Canada, TD Canada Trust and One Tree Planted.

“We are looking forward to coming together with hundreds of community members and students to plant trees across the watershed this fall,” said Otonabee Conservation CAO Janette Loveys Smith. “Trees provide many benefits to us each day, and as they grow, they provide us with a natural climate change solution.”

Planting trees helps regulate temperatures and provides shelter to wildlife.

Trees filter the air we breathe, capture carbon dioxide mitigating climate change and stabilize the ground preventing erosion and reducing stormwater runoff/ flooding.

For more information visit the Otonabee Conservation website.

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Camp Kawartha Celebrates 100 Years With Exhibition Through Peterborough Museum & Archives

The Camp Kawartha: Making a Splash for 100 Years exhibition celebrates a century of camp life from Sept. 17 to Dec. 4 at Peterborough Museum & Archives.

File Photo.

Since 1921, children have experienced outdoor activities and education on the eastern shore of Clear Lake through Camp Kawartha’s summer camps, retreats and workshops.

Featuring nostalgic camp memorabilia like a 1930s wool swimsuit and a Peterborough Canoe Company vessel, Camp Kawartha: Making a Splash for 100 Years displays archival and contemporary photographs of campers participating in various activities at the campsite.

Through this temporary exhibition attendees can learn how the camp evolved over the last century into the award-winning environmental leadership centre it is today.

The exhibition admission is by donation.

For more information, contact the curator of Peterborough Museum & Archives Kim Reid at (705) 742-7777 (ext. 2473).

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Farmcrest Park To Receive 620 Planted Trees Funded Through Community Donations

The City of Peterborough is planting 620 new trees in Farmcrest Park on Sept. 24 after receiving several community donations announced on Thursday.

File photo.

Organizations such as RBC Dominion Securities, the Excelsior Group, Peterborough Homes, the Rotary Club of Peterborough and GreenUP helped provide funding and/or volunteers for the urban forest project.

The planting is part of the City’s Urban Forest Strategic Plan and is in addition to the City’s regular tree planting program which sees about 400 trees planted annually.

“This has evolved into a wonderful community project and we sincerely thank our partners,” says Councillor Lesley Parnell, Chair of the City’s arenas, parks and recreation portfolio. “These 620 new trees, in addition to the City’s yearly complement, are most welcome.”

RBC started the initiative with a generous donation of $10,000 through the RBC Foundation.

“We are committed to helping our communities thrive by supporting initiatives such as the City of Peterborough’s Sustainable Community Project,” says Graham Culp, branch director. “This project aligns to our existing commitment to greening communities. Since 2020, we have planted 25,000 trees through Tree Canada’s National Greening Program, as our way of saying thanks to our clients who have switched to paperless statements.”

A GTA-based development company The Excelsior Group contributed $5,000 to the tree planting initiative after participating in a similar event held last year in Rotary Park.

“Excelsior Group is extremely proud to be supporting this initiative. By planting trees, not only are we enriching our environment and surrounding community but we are planting hope for the future,” said Satish Thakkar, president/C.E.O. of Excelsior Group “As trees act as a vessel for supporting life on earth, this initiative supports our mission to Build Inspiring Spaces.”

Volunteers from RBC and the Rotary Club of Peterborough will get digging to plant the new trees. The plantings will be adjacent to the off-leash dog park with some larger trees adjacent to the parking lot area and along the pathway.

“The Rotary Club of Peterborough was the catalyst behind the Farmcrest off-leash dog park,” says Kevin Duguay, former Rotary Club president. “We are now pleased to partner with RBC Dominion Securities, the Excelsior Group, Peterborough Homes, the Rotary Club of Peterborough, and GreenUP to introduce over 600 trees in the Farmcrest Park and enhance the area.”

Any wanting to volunteer can complete the online registration form for one of the following three timeslots at www.peterborough.ca/TreesforPTBO:

• Register for 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

• Register for 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

• Register for noon to 1:30 p.m.

“Planting a tree is the simplest way to mitigate climate change. Donations, partnerships and public education are all needed to protect our urban forest canopy.,” said Michael Papadacos, the City’s manager of infrastructure management. “The City’s urban forest has lost approximately 10 per cent of its canopy in the last five years and that was prior to the devastating impact the May derecho had on our urban forest. Planting new trees is a high priority.”

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Petes And Emterra Partner To Host Clean Community Cup Encouraging Minor Hockey Teams To Be Environmentally Conscious

The Peterborough Petes have partnered with Emterra to host the 2022-23 Clean Community Cup to encourage local minor hockey teams to make a positive impact on the environmental well being of their community.

File photo.

Teams in the City of Peterborough and surrounding areas are encouraged to come together and find creative ways to help improve the communities in which they live, work, and play. Teams can support this initiative by doing things like picking up garbage, recycling, and promoting good environmental habits in their communities. 

The team that shows the strongest initiative, creativity, and positive environmental impact on their community will be chosen as the winner.

The prize includes $500 cash to be used by the winners on team apparel and operations, and a team photo featured on advertising at the PMC. The winning team will be chosen by the Petes and presented with a cheque at a Petes home game on March 14, 2023 at the PMC.

Interested teams can register for the Clean Community Cup here.

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Kawartha Land Trust Receives 61-acre Woodlot From Two Anonymous Donors

A 61-acre woodlot featuring deep forest habitat was recently donated to Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) by two donors who wish to remain anonymous.

This mature woodlot, which is situated on limestone bedrock, is part of a connected, extensive forested area in Peterborough County.

Because of the donors’ long-time interest in land stewardship and sustainable forestry, the property contains a wide diversity of flora and fauna. It is also home to several species at risk, including the Butternut tree, Eastern Wood-Pewee and Wood Thrush.

“It's been a pleasure learning about the donor's intimate knowledge of the property and their inspiration to protect it forever,” said Thom Unrau, Director of Community Conservation. “Development pressures and high-grade logging are fragmenting woodlots like this one and I'm grateful to know that under KLT’s care this land will forever be managed to ensure its long-term health.”

The donors gifted the property, which they purchased several decades ago, to Kawartha Land Trust to ensure the forest and abundant wildlife would not be disturbed by future development.

“We’re extremely grateful to the donors of Pipers’ Woods for their generosity and commitment to protecting land in the Kawarthas,” said John Kintare, Executive Director. “This mature forest will continue to be home to species like the Barred Owl that prefer older forests that cannot be quickly or easily re-established once gone.”

The dedication of Kawartha Land Trust’s donors, volunteers, and supporters has resulted in the acquisition of 11 new properties in the past two years, which has expanded KLT’s protected lands to almost 5,000 acres, providing additional safe havens for wildlife in the Kawarthas and securing important ecological landscapes help combat climate change.

At the request of the donors, Pipers’ Woods will not be open to public access and its location will not be disclosed in order to ensure the preservation of its sensitive habitats.

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Crews Working To Clean Up Fuel Oil Spill In Jackson Creek

Crews are working to clean up a fuel oil spill at the south end of Jackson Creek in the area of Townsend and Aylmer streets that was reported on Wednesday.

crews attempt to contain the fuel spill and prevent spreading. Photo By Luke Best

According to Brendan Wedley, Manager of Communications at The City of Peterborough, the city is working with the Ministry of the Environment and has immediately put in place environmental protection measures to prevent the spill from discharging into Little Lake, and retained an environmental consultant to investigate the source of the contamination as well as an environmental remediation specialist.

At this time the contamination is not discharging into Little Lake, and the water quality in Little Lake has been maintained.

Though Little Lake has been deemed safe, that wasn’t the case in 2018. In April of 2018 broken fire suppression line at the old General Electric plant, located on Park Street, had leaked polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB’s) into Little Lake.

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GreenUP Celebrates $25,000 Grant For Urban Greening With Tree-Planting Ceremony

Peterborough GreenUP celebrates their $25,000 Green Space Grant to grow urban mini-forests in town with a fruit tree planting at Dominion Park on Wednesday.

Laura Kersztesi juggles apples in dominion park after announcing the green space grant . Photo by Luke Best

The grant was from TD Bank Group and the Arbor Day Foundation. Peterborough is one of just 20 North American cities to receive the grant this year.

“It's really wonderful to see this come together and have the support from these types of grants to put trees in the ground,” said Laura Kersztesi, Greenup program coordinator.

GreenUP and Nourish are creating five neighbourhood-based mini-food forests and educating how to care for fruit within urban spaces. The mini-forest locations include Keith Wightman Park, an urban farm on Highland Road, Jackson Creek and a to-be-named retirement residence.

Three apple trees such as Royal Gala and Golden Delicious were planted at Dominion Park to kickstart the campaign.

All photos by Luke Best

Kereztesi says GreenUP will plant perennials and berry bushes in the fall including currents and elderberries. She is unsure if more planting will continue past the winter season due to funding and volunteer status but wants to if possible.

“New and experienced gardeners alike have been asking frequently about integrating fruit production into their gardens, and as a community of growers, we have been dreaming about collectively planting fruitful food forests for years,” said Jill Bishop, Nourish community food cultivator.

The five mini food forests support over 10 people in becoming certified in Beginner Fruit Tree Care according to GreenUP.

The staff will help anyone who signed up to help care for the mini food forests in each neighbourhood.

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GreenUP Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Environmental Sustainability and Growth

GreenUP put its growth on display as it celebrated the 30th anniversary with an all-ages event at the Ecology Park on Thursday evening.

Lillian P. (left) and Ellie T. (right) showing off their butterfly wings at the Children’s Garden at GreenUP Ecology Park. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

GreenUP is an environmental organization meant to inspire and empower environmentally healthy and sustainable action in the community according to its website.

“The resilience it takes to get to 30 years for any organization is really incredible,” said Tegan Moss, GreenUP executive director. “I'm really proud of all the people who've done this work for this long and to be a part of it and continuing it for decades yet to come.”

The event featured guided tours, a beanbag toss, scavenger hunts, arts and crafts, a stunt ventriloquist, remarks from GreenUp staff and dinner.

Speeches from the event staff thanked the staff and supporters who have maintained the organization for 30 years.

Funding for GreenUp has come through the city via the Community Service Grant Program, donations, GreenUP store and park services.

“The environment is worth protecting,” said Moss. “We can work together as a community to realize really important reductions in CO2 emissions and the preservation of biodiversity so I'm really excited to engage and empower people in the work that results in those important things happening.”

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