The Rotary Club of Trenton along with other great partners including the Highway of Heroes Living Tribute recently partnered with our local conservation authority (Lower Trent Conservation) to carry out an important community service project called "Greening the Greenbelt". And there's more to this story......
This project was a large success, and resulted in significant publicity for the various participating partners including our club. We are very proud of these efforts and the results. Here are some photos of our club members participating in the event, on October 21, 2017. See if you can spot Past Rotary International Past President Wilf Wilkinson digging down and getting dirty for this great cause.
Here is the story from Marilyn Bucholtz, Communications Coordinator, Lower Trent Conservation Area:
The Rotary Club of Trenton is back digging in to help Lower Trent Conservation with its ‘Greening the Greenbelt’ Shoreline Habitat Project at Trenton Greenbelt Conservation Area. Last spring, club members planted 250 native trees and shrubs and are returning today to continue their support of the shoreline restoration project. Over 30 members of the Trenton Rotary Club planted 370 native trees/shrubs and 240 wildflowers along the shoreline of the Trent River.
The Rotary Club signed on as the community partner for the project as part of the Province of Ontario’s Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund support. The Fund has provided a total of $17,053.00 to complete the project. As part of Ontario’s Great Lakes Strategy, the Community Fund was set up to help people take action to protect and restore the Great Lakes.
The public green space located at the mouth of the Trent River on the Bay of Quinte is in poor ecological health with many sections of the Conservation Area consisting of mowed lawn, invasive plants, and few native species, which makes for poor quality shoreline habitat. The ‘Greening the Greenbelt’ project will boost biodiversity, enhance shoreline habitat, increase public enjoyment of the public green space, and help build a resilient natural area along a 300 metre section of the shoreline.
The Rotary Club will be joined by at least 35 volunteers through the Highway of Heroes Living Tribute. Located at one end of the Highway of Heroes 401 corridor, the ‘Greening the Greenbelt’ restoration project fits the Highway of Heroes goal of planting 2,000,000 trees between Trenton and Toronto – one for each Canadian that has ever served in the Armed Forces. Highway of Heroes partners, Vineland Research & Innovation Centre and Landscape Ontario, have provided Lower Trent Conservation with soil analysis and remediation advice to improve tree survival.
Trenton Greenbelt Conservation Area is located in the heart of Trenton at the gateway to the historic Trent-Severn Waterway. The 2.5 kilometre long Conservation Area hugs the Trent River shoreline almost reaching the river mouth at the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario. This ribbon of green is Trenton's only urban riverside natural area, popular for hiking, cycling, wildlife viewing, and fishing. Local partners donating services and materials to the project include Fuller Native and Rare Plants, Git-R-Down Tree Service, Dibbits Excavating and Landscape Supply, Wentworth Landscapes, and Bill’s Johns Portable Toilet Rentals.
Lower Trent Conservation is a community-based non-profit environmental protection organization that protects, restores and manages the natural resources across the Lower Trent watershed region. It works with local communities to create a healthy, environmentally diverse watershed that improves the quality of life for residents, makes our area more appealing to visitors and new business, and helps to ensure a more vibrant regional economy.
The Rotary Club of Trenton has been a proud part of Rotary International since 1922. Through a network of resources and partners, the club focuses its service efforts in promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education, and growing local economies. The Rotary Club of Trenton also has a mandate to plant 10 trees per member this year to celebrate our military! The Rotary Club of Trenton is part of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, and community leaders who come together as part of Rotary International to create positive, lasting change in our local communities and around the world.
Highway of Heroes Living Tribute are planting 2,000,000 trees between Trenton and Toronto – one for each Canadian that has ever served in the Armed Forces. Of those, 117,000 will be planted directly along the stretch of the 401 that is known as the Highway of Heroes - one tree for each Canadian that lost their life while serving. This tribute offers an opportunity to tell the story of our Veterans and remind those who travel along the highway of the great debt we owe these courageous Canadians. It will also provide a myriad of environmental benefits for generations to come. The Highway of Heroes Tribute is made possible through the support of Mark’s Choice, Landscape Ontario, Frank Cowan Company, The Cowan Foundation, TD Bank, Maple Leaves Forever, and the Garden Club of Toronto.