Join NC’s Sustainability team for tree planting, Virtual BioBlitz and community cleanups
Plans to celebrate Earth Week are beginning to sprout across the College and beyond.
From an on-campus tree planting on Earth Day to a Virtual BioBlitz and clean-up events during Earth Week, NC’s Office of Sustainability has a variety of initiatives planned and welcomes College students and employees to participate, whether in-person or remotely.
“Earth Day allows us to come together as a community and recognize that everyone has a role to play in protecting and conserving our natural environment,” said Sustainability Advisor Taryn Wilkinson. “Collective action is critical to address large scale complex systems challenges like climate change and ecological collapse, and activities like the ones we have planned for Earth Day help to engage and educate our community about the critical role we all have in working together to solve these challenges.”
Wilkinson applauded the efforts of NC’s student sustainability ambassadors, who have had a key role in planning this year’s Earth Week initiatives. Currently, there are 25 student ambassadors involved in Sustainability’s Student Ambassador program, which launched in September.
“I’m incredibly proud of the work the Sustainability Ambassadors have done planning these activities over the past few months, working with our community partners to intentionally create space for everyone within our community to connect with nature and collectively and positively impact our environment to celebrate Earth Day 2022,” said Wilkinson.
Pawpaw tree planting
Earth Day, April 22, group start times at 9:40 a.m. and 10:40 a.m.
Outdoor Classroom, Daniel J. Patterson Campus
On-site contacts: Student Ambassadors Akira Ourique and Lindsay Taylor
Dig into Earth Day by planting roots on campus – literally. Join NC’s Pawpaw tree-planting event at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The event was organized by NC’s Sustainability Student Ambassadors, supported by the Sustainability Action Fund Micro-grant program.
Forty-three Pawpaw trees will be planted on campus, in the wetlands area. The rare small trees native to Southern Ontario are a significant species, noted Wilkinson, and the new plantings will add to the small number that are currently on campus.
In addition to tree planting, windbreaks will be constructed – which will require some lifting from volunteers. Environmental and Horticulture students will be involved with this initiative.
The planting event will begin at 9:30 a.m. when the first volunteer group begins prepping the first site and installing windbreaks. A second volunteer group will begin at 10:40 a.m. to assist and begin planting.
Everyone is welcome and advance registration is not required. Meet the volunteers at the Outdoor Classroom, which is located near the lagoons along the Wetland Ridge trail.
Virtual BioBlitz
April 23 (all day)
On-site contact: Student Ambassador Ruth McComb
It’s time to unearth the ‘citizen scientist’ within and become a proud contributor to local biodiversity projects. Everyone is welcome to get involved in the College’s Virtual BioBlitz, hosted by the Office of Sustainability on April 23.
Immerse yourself in the great outdoors and participate anywhere you like. While you’re out and about, be sure to use the iNaturalist app to identify and catalogue any plant or animal species that you encounter, then submit them to ‘‘Niagara College Virtual BioBlitz.’
Bioblitz participants aim to record as many species as possible at a set location and over a specific amount of time. Through independent verification, an iNaturalist BioBlitz helps provide scientists with information about the number of local species in their location.
Participants will also have a chance to win prizes. Winners will be announced on April 29.
This year’s Virtual BioBlitz will be led by Student Ambassador Ruth McComb, who is enrolled in the Environmental Management and Assessment program. McComb planned and created content to guide participants on how to participate, and she plans to get involved in the Virtual BioBlitz on April 23 by searching for ecological diversity in downtown Toronto.
“I look forward to seeing how many people participate in Earth Week /Day on social media,” she said. “It’s important to participate in Earth Week/Day initiatives to show a dedication to being a good environmental steward that spread awareness and connects with all species that share this land with us.”
How to participate in the Virtual BioBlitz
- Download the iNaturalist app to your mobile device;
- Once in, open the menu and select Projects;
- Search and join: Niagara College Campus Virtual BioBlitz; and
- Start identifying and cataloguing the species you see when you are out and about on April 23!
Social media
Get involved and don’t forget to follow and tag on social media at:
@niagaracollege @yourncsac @getinvolvednc @nc_knights @ie_nc @ncinternational @ncstewards
#sustainability #sustainabilitync #myncstory
On-campus cleanup
April 23, 10 a.m. to noon
Daniel J. Patterson Campus,
On-site contact: Student Ambassador Ruth McComb
Niagara College is hosting a cleanup event on April 23 at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake from 10 a.m. to noon. The NC community is welcome to participate. Meet at the NC Greenhouse entrance. Check-in on site at the event start time.
Those involved in the on-campus cleanup may also wish to participate in the Virtual Bioblitz on campus at the same time by using the iNaturalist app to log species during the cleanup. (See Virtual Bioblitz for details.)
All materials will be provided. Participants are asked to dress for the weather, including appropriate footwear.
Community cleanups
April 23
Various locations
The NC community is encouraged to join volunteers from the College and the community at various Community clean-up events on April 23.
Join the Clean City Advisory Committee Spring Community Cleanup at one of two locations in St. Catharines from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Ontario Street and QEW (Henley Square parking lot) or at Lake Street and the QEW (Best Western parking lot). Groups may register through the event page for these or at other locations throughout the city. This event is open to the public. All materials will be provided and volunteers are asked to dress appropriately for the weather, including proper footwear.
Visit the Clean City Committee Facebook event page for details or visit stcatharines.ca/springcleanup.
On-site contact: Chair, St. Catharines Clean Cities Committee, Jonathan Belgrave
Niagara-on-the-Green will host a community cleanup on April 23 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Niagara-on-the-Green Park on Young Crescent. The event is open to the public. Advance registration is not required.
All materials will be provided and volunteers are asked to dress appropriately for the weather, including proper footwear.
In the event of rain, the event will be postponed to a later date.
On-site contacts: Lianne Gagnon and community resident Steve Hardaker
The St. Catharines Downtown Association will host a cleanup from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.This event is open to the public and participants can register online or on site. To volunteer, meet at the SCDA office (80 King St., St. Catharines) at start time. All materials will be provided and participants are asked to dress appropriately for the weather, including proper footwear.
On-site contacts: Student Ambassador Sean Parkinson and SCDA Executive Director Rachel Braithwaite
Contact
If you have questions about Sustainability’s Earth Week initiatives, please email [email protected].