Local high school students celebrated St. Albert’s sesquicentennial this week by adding trees to Lacombe Park.
About 10 members of the Bellerose Composite High Eco Action team strolled into Lacombe Lake Park Wednesday after school to plant trees and shrubs. An Environmental Initiatives Grant from the city helped fund the project.
The team’s goal was to plant 150 trees to celebrate the city’s 150th anniversary, says team founder Sean Doherty. “I think this is a great way to get outside and do something good for the community.”
The team has previously organized car pools and collected cellphones for recycling. The planting is part of the city’s naturalization program, says community recreation co-ordinator Erin Gluck, which puts native plants in turf areas to expand forests and cut down on mowing. Volunteers naturalized plots near Willoughby Park and Riel Pond earlier this summer.
In addition to the usual aspen poplar, prickly wild rose and red osier dogwood, Gluck says the team also planted Canada buffaloberry. Commonly found in mountain forests, these plants produce small, bitter red berries that feel soapy and are a frequent snack for black bears. These plants grow well in poor soil, she says, and the city is piloting them here as a new addition to its naturalization program.
The team picked this spot in the park because it was highly visible, Doherty says. “I think it’ll be really cool to come back in a couple of years and see how much it’s grown.”
The site also happens to be within a few metres of the 2002 “Growing Together” naturalization site.
This will be Doherty’s last year with the Eco Action team, as he’s graduating but he hopes future students will keep it running. “I’ve always had this love for the environment and I feel everyone needs to get out and enjoy it once in a while.”
Call Gluck at 780-418-6005 for more on the naturalization program.
Hold onto your change, bus fans — city residents can ride free next Wednesday as part of Clean Air Day.
June 5 through 11 is Environment Week in Canada and is meant to encourage local action to support and restore the environment. This year’s theme is forests, according to Environment Canada, and coincides with the United Nation’s International Year of Forests.
St. Albert is celebrating by offering free rides on St. Albert Transit on June 8, says spokesperson Dawn Fedorvich, which is also Clean Air Day. The annual event is meant to encourage people to reduce air pollution by taking a bus, bike or their own feet around town instead of a car. Riders can expect free prizes at bus stations from staff, while pass-holders can enter themselves in a draw for free passes.
Residents can also head to St. Albert Place at around 11:30 a.m. for administration’s annual Clean Air Day party, says environmental co-ordinator Meghan Myers. The party will once again feature free bike tune-ups, displays on local environmental initiatives and an ironic smoky barbecue. “It’s the only way to get staff out,” she jokes.
Visitors should stick around to watch staff compete against each other in a tricycle race, she adds.
Transit use can have a considerable impact on air quality. One full bus takes about 40 vehicles off the road, according to the New Brunswick Climate Change Public Education and Outreach Hub, and cuts about 175 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over the course of a year.
Visit cleanairday.com for more environmental tips.
