Glen Williams Tree Planting
One of my favorite things about this year has been becoming a Caring For The Credit Volunteer Leader with Credit Valley Conservation (CVC). As a volunteer leader, I help setup before an event, assist with signing-in volunteers, keep volunteers organized throughout the event, answer questions, and assist the CVC staff. Really, I get to have a great day outside, meet like-minded people, and have a ton of fun. Most of the events I’ve helped at are tree plantings or invasive species removals, and there’s always something unique about each one. Today was no exception.
Today’s tree planting was run by CVC in partnership with P.O.W.E.R. Halton Peel BioDiversity Network. We had 100 native trees and shrubs to plant in Glen Williams Park in Halton Hills, along the banks of the Credit River, a relatively easy task and a great way to spend a morning. The chilly fall weather was ideal for planting trees, and the rain held off to provide us with a beautiful morning.
Tree planting is done for many reasons: to beautify and naturalize an area, to improve bank stabilization, to aid in preventing erosion, and to decrease runoff. Trees also provide shade, which is extremely important for keeping water temperatures low enough in a coldwater stream like the Credit River. Another reason for tree plantings is to increase community involvement and connection with the watershed. In some places, this last task is an easy one to meet. In others, it’s hard to get the public involved.
Cute little helper!
We ended up with some amazing volunteers from P.O.W.E.R., as well as an awesome group of people from the Toronto Outdoors Club. Some volunteers had previous tree planting experience, others were new to this fun activity, but they all did a fantastic job of planting trees, and were a great group of people to spend the morning with.
After working our way along the river and planting dogwoods, , maples, and nannyberries, we took a coffee break and I was in for a big surprise. I hadn’t realized that we were having some unique and furry visitors to this event, but as I walked into the pavilion, I was greeted by a lemur and a red kangaroo. Agh! I was so excited!
King Julian the lemur.
King Julian
These animals are an excellent way to introduce and educate the public about exotic species, and why they should not be released into the wild and why they are to be respected as wild animals, not pets. King Julian’s story is a good example of why this education is needed. He was originally kept as a house pet but was confined to a very small aquarium when his owner was not home. Lemurs need a lot of space and like to be on the move, a small aquarium is not a healthy environment for them. He was rescued and taken to Exotic Critter Tales, the company that brought him to this event. There are other lemurs at this sanctuary, but unfortunately, King Julian cannot live with them because he has been too domesticated and does not know how to hold his own among the other lemurs. Instead, he is given plenty of room to roam and lots of interaction with humans. His handler was quick to point that King Julian is not a pet.
For me, getting the chance to meet and interact with these animals was a dream come true. I love kangaroos, and holding little Jasper in his bag was so incredible. I had the opportunity to ask lots of questions about them as individuals, and about their species in general. What a great learning experience.
Jasper
Me and Jasper
Mmmm…cake.
Some of the trees.
Good work everyone!
Always a good sight.
After our visit, we all got back to work and planted the remaining trees. It’s always a reward to look around the area after an event and see the results of everyone’s hard work. I can’t wait to go back and see how the trees are doing next spring. The trees and shrubs that have been planted in the past two years are growing quite well, so I look forward to seeing the results of this planting.
If you get the chance to attend a tree planting, I encourage you to do it. It’s fun, rewarding, and you never know what may happen.
argosgirl
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Excellent work! Planting native trees is an important activity, as is learning about non-native animals, too. Looks like you had a fun time.
It’s always a fun time at these CVC events 🙂