Earth Day in Niagara: next generation to be land’s ‘environmental stewards’
The sun was hiding and the cool air was damp, but that didn’t stop hundreds of people who showed up at Camp Wetaskiwin, spending the day planting 1,500 trees and removing invasive species across its St. Catharines camp grounds.
Others made it an entire weekend event, with dozens of tents pitched along the grass, enjoying the camp’s evening activities — all leading into Monday’s Earth Day celebration.
Now in its 54th year, Earth Day’s annual global event raises awareness around environmental issues and looks to inspire people, municipalities and organizations to take action.
Across the campgrounds Saturday morning, 350 children and 100 adults removed buckthorn trees, multiflora rose shrubs and grape vines and planted native species that will do a “much better job of maintaining the biodiversity in the forest,” said Bryce Honsinger, a leader with the 57th Grantham Optimist Troop.
“Warms my heart. Many of us here were scouts, so this is where we grew up and now we have our children here … trying to make the environment as sustainable as possible moving forward,” he said, thanking donors from numerous community organizations and volunteers from beavers, cubs, cadets, guides, pathfinders, rovers and others.
Trout Unlimited Canada came up with a planting plan and distributed items to volunteers.
“It makes you really proud because we can do things if we work together,” said Honsinger.
In addition to removing hundreds of invasive species, the goal was to plant the 1,500 trees. While it’s an ambitious project, Honsinger said he had no doubt it would be completed.
“We’ll do it, we won’t give up,” he said.
Also, the plan was to build erosion breaks along the creek, using donated Christmas trees from the Niagara Region.
Honsinger is one of three individuals who runs Camp Wetaskiwin and also serves as its historian.
When the land was first purchased in 1945, it was an active, and bare, farm. Every tree on the grounds was planted by children in the 1950s — with 2,000 trees planted in 1954 alone.
Over the years, the watershed, pollution and erosion have changed the land’s conditions, including removing brook trout Honsinger remembers catching in the creek as a young scout.
But during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the grounds were quiet, animals started making their return.
A pair of great horned owls live in the trees behind the parking lot. A herd of deer live up on the hill. Foxes run through the land. A beaver and a blue heron made a home in Twelve Mile Creek.
Honsinger said it is up to upcoming generations to do what they can to become the land’s next “environmental stewards.”
“Things are coming back that we haven’t had and so giving the kids the opportunity to see everything and appreciate it is paramount,” he said.
“The trees and all the shrubs and all the work should change the ecosystem enough to get it back to, hopefully, where it was and get the habitat right.”
Earth Day across Niagara
Saturday, municipalities held events across Niagara, including community cleanups at parks throughout St. Catharines and along sidewalks, parks and trails in Thorold and Pelham.
Pelham held an eco-expo at Meridian Community Centre, with representatives from Pelham Advocates for Trees and Habitat and the Rotary Club of Fonthill giving away trees.
Niagara Region waste management staff were on hand in Pelham, Thorold and Welland, educating residents about waste diversion programs, and selling green bins.
Welland hosted a free tree giveaway (to be held again April 27 and May 4) at its weekly farmers market.
Advocacy group 50 by 30 Niagara, which aims to see the region reduce emissions 50 per cent by 2030 — was at both Welland and Thorold events, looking to raise its profile.
Its goal is to encourage all 12 Niagara municipalities to plan mixeduse, higher-density communities centred on multi-modal transportation.
“The wheels still turn painfully slowly and it is so easy to get them to lower a flag or paint a sidewalk or turn on some lights, but when it comes to actually doing something (it can be difficult),” said Herb Sawatzky, head of 50 by 30.
“The good thing is there are openminded people absolutely everywhere.”
The group was one of about a dozen booths set up inside Thorold Community Arena, the city’s first full Earth Day event — an idea brought forward by the City of Thorold’s environment, climate change and biodiversity advisory committee, Horticulture Society and Senior Citizens Centre.
The afternoon also included programming and crafts for kids, and four speakers making presentations on subjects ranging from native plants and invasive species to how to journey into environmental policy activism.
Jacob Tedesco, Thorold’s special events co-ordinator, said with the event being in its first year, he wasn’t sure what to expect, but there was a good turnout, with about 100 residents leaving with free one-metre-tall saplings.
“Over time it will just grow. It was recently approved by council, so we haven’t had a ton of time to plan this, but knowing it’s an event now, we’ll be able to grow it for next year and make it bigger and better,” said Tedesco.
“It’s important to get kids involved from a young age and teach them about environmental stewardship and inform the next generation of how they can get involved and participate.”