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Friendly Reminder: Park Expansion Opportunity, We need your support!

Community Consultation

 If you can make it, we would really appreciate your support as this can make a difference in determining what will become the final outcome. Thank-you.

Community discussion on possible extension of park land along Pontiac St (between Carleton Ave & Cowley Ave)

When:   Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Time:     7:30pm
Where: Champlain Park Fieldhouse (Champlain Park)

Together with the Champlain Park Community Association (CPCA), Kitchissippi Ward Councillor Jeff Leiper would like to invite you to come and discuss the potential permanent closure of Pontiac Street, between Carleton Ave and Cowley Ave. The street closure would help expand Champlain Park north across Pontiac St and would connect the park with the NCC parkway lands. Further, the street closure would create a connection between the new 16km Sir John A. Macdonald Winter Trail, Champlain Park and the broader community.

Please join us to learn more and to let us know what you think. We look forward to your feedback!

If you cannot attend, please send questions or comments to the following:
CPCA coordinator: Carol Arnason – carol.arnason@ocsb.ca (613) 729-6639
Councillors office:  Jeff Leiper – Jeff.Leiper@ottawa.ca (613) 580-2485

For more information at Kitchissippi Ward website

Park Expansion Opportunity, We need your support!

Community Consultation

Community discussion on possible extension of park land along Pontiac St (between Carleton Ave & Cowley Ave)

When:   Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Time:     7:30pm
Where: Champlain Park Fieldhouse (Champlain Park)

Together with the Champlain Park Community Association (CPCA), Kitchissippi Ward Councillor Jeff Leiper would like to invite you to come and discuss the potential permanent closure of Pontiac Street, between Carleton Ave and Cowley Ave. The street closure would help expand Champlain Park north across Pontiac St and would connect the park with the NCC parkway lands. Further, the street closure would create a connection between the new 16km Sir John A. Macdonald Winter Trail, Champlain Park and the broader community.

Please join us to learn more and to let us know what you think. We look forward to your feedback!

If you cannot attend, please send questions or comments to the following:
CPCA coordinator: Carol Arnason – carol.arnason@ocsb.ca (613) 729-6639
Councillors office:  Jeff Leiper – Jeff.Leiper@ottawa.ca (613) 580-2485

For more information at Kitchissippi Ward website

Friendly Reminder – Tree Planting – September 17, 18

Hope you can make it!

Come plant trees in the NCC forest, Sept 17-18.

The National Capital Commission and community groups in Champlain Park have struck an agreement to foster a healthy forest between Pontiac Ave and the Parkway. In the spring the NCC removed buckthorn and felled dead trees that were possible hazards along pathways. We will plant trees in these cleared spaces to support the gradual succession of the flora and fauna towards a mature forest.

Come with your shovels near the north entrance to St. Georges’ School, between 9 am and 4 pm Saturday and 9 am and 2 pm on Sunday. Contact Daniel Buckles if you have any questions: 613-807-8048; dbuckles@sympatico.ca

Nature Connection Summer Day Camp 2016

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that I am leading a Nature Connection Summer Day Camp this summer for children aged 7-12.  I currently have a few spots remaining in my August camp.

Registration will end on July 27.

Please feel free to contact me Jen Neate with any questions by email at jen@spiritwalkers.ca or by phone (613) 792-3333.

See below for more details and/or check out the Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/NatureConnectionCamp/

Nature Connection Summer Day Camp 2016

DATE:               August 2-5
LOCATION:   Gatineau Park (Keogan Cabin parking lot)
AGES:               7-12
TIME:               9:30-3:30
COST:              $220 (tax included)

Nature Connection Summer Day Camp is an opportunity for children to experience themselves as an interconnected part of the natural world, as brothers and sisters to all living beings.  Together, we will move in the spirit of gratitude, respect and reverence for the sacredness of life around us.  As their mentor and guide, I will accompany children on their path of discovery, helping them to feel comfortable being themselves out in nature and sharing their gifts with the group.

Our days will be guided by curiosity, wonder and a keen drive to explore.  Some of our core routines will include:

Expanding our Senses
·        We will awaken and expand our senses using Owl Eyes, Deer Ears, Raccoon Touch and Dog Smell to inspire us to really sharpen our awareness.

Sit Spots
·        Through a growing relationship with their own special Sit Spots that they find during the week, children will have the opportunity to intimately experience the sights, sounds, smells, and textures in their particular spot in nature as they change with each visit.  This is fertile ground for deep connection with nature and with their own inner experience.

Wandering
·        Wandering as a group without time or destination creates an opportunity for children to follow their curiosity and to connect with nature according to their own interests and gifts.

Active and Cooperative Games
·        We will play a variety of active, running, jumping, moving games every day.  Animals and nature will be the inspiration for many of these.  Cooperative games will also be used to foster a strong group dynamic.

Storytelling
·        I will use stories throughout the week to inspire interest and curiosity on various subjects, to teach and to bring the group together to relax.

Sharing and Journaling
·        We will share the stories of our experience in our sit spots verbally or in writing or drawing.  This practice trains us to pay attention and allows the group to learn from the observations and experiences of others.  It also encourages self-confidence and deep listening skills in the group which help to validate each person’s experience.

Thanksgiving
·        Each day will begin and end with gratitude for the Earth, the Sun, the elements and all life, as well as for gifts we experienced during our day together.

The topics that we cover will include many of the following:

PLANTS
·        We will discover the amazing diversity of the plant world – trees, herbaceous plants, ferns and mosses to name a few.  Children will be introduced to food and healing plants as we gather herbs for bush tea or make a plantain poultice for an itchy bite.

MAMMALS & TRACKING
·        Looking for signs that they leave behind, we will discover the secret world of mammals in our forests.

BIRDS
·        Birds are the forest sentinels alerting all other animals to approaching danger.  We will learn to listen and look for the birds around us and practice moving invisibly through the forest in order to not raise the alarm.

INSECTS
·        Talk about diversity!  Whether sweeping through tall grass or looking under logs, we will be sure to meet many of the creatures in this group and marvel at their varied survival strategies.

AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
·        A week in the forest wouldn’t be complete without a hunt for some of the forest’s elusive amphibians, the salamanders!  We will also look out for frogs by the water’s edge and snakes basking in warm, sunny places.

Every day will bring new discoveries as we awaken to the subtle rhythms and changes in the natural world around us and follow our curiosity wherever it may lead.

Neighbourwoods in Champlain Park – Initial meeting

Sorry for the short notice, but this seems best to catch most people before vacations take a lot of you out of town …

I attended a meeting in May hosted by Daniel Buckles and Adrian Bradley of the Urban Forest Green Spaces group.

Several initiatives were discussed that night including a tree inventory project. A number of you (along with some others) went to the Neighbourwoods weekend training session in early June and we have had several subsequent sessions to improve our skills in a group setting.  During these sessions, we started the actual inventory (location, species, size, condition) using the trees in the park.

The next step in “Neighbourwoods in Champlain Park” will be a meeting to organize the expansion of the inventory process.

Tuesday, 28 June @ 7pm in the Fieldhouse

This meeting will be for setting up teams for the actual inventory, data input, GPS marking, etc.  We expect to work block by block, in teams of 2-3 (or more).

EVEN IF YOU DID NOT GO TO THE TRAINING SESSION, we could still use your help.  You could work with some of those who were able to take the training, especially when they are do the inventory on your street.  You could serve as a block ambassador and introduce the team to your neighbours.

Catherine Shearer
Coordinator, Neighbourwoods in Champlain Park

Ash Tree removal starts in NCC Forest – May 11, 2016

Important Notice:

To advise all users of the NCC Forest

Removal of identified Ash trees within the NCC forest are scheduled to begin Wednesday May, 11,2016.

Access to the forest will be limited during this time for the safety of users.

Initial operations will begin Wednesday May 11, 2016 with planned completion by the 20th of May.

A Biologist will be onsite Monday and Tuesday identifying active nests.

All work is conducted in accordance with the overall EAB strategy: http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/property-management/what-we-manage/emerald-ash-borer.

Project Title: NCC Forest Ash Tree Removal Project
Team leader: NCC Urban Lands & Transportation
Contact email: info@ncc-ccn.ca phone: 613-239-5000

 

 

 

Urban Forest Green Spaces – Community Wide Awareness Meeting – May 19

Are you interested in fostering healthy green spaces and urban forests supporting native plants and wildlife? Are you interested in the recreational enjoyment of nature within the Champlain Park for your family, friends, neighbours and future generations?
CHAMPLAIN_TRAILSThis maybe of interest to you!

Please join us for our first Urban Forest Green Spaces community-wide meeting, where we will outline the community partnership with the NCC and the City of Ottawa and share progress on community-based projects underway in the NCC forest, the Little Woods and our Park. We’ll hear from community representatives of the initiative, the NCC and the City of Ottawa on:

  • What’s happening in the NCC forest bordering our community and the parkway, the Little Woods and our Park.
  • Mapping paths and trees
  • Improving paths with woodchips
  • Planting native trees, shrubs and flowers
Meeting details:
  • Location:  Champlain Park Fieldhouse
  • Time:          7:30 – 9 pm – Thursday evening
  • Date:           May 19, 2016

In order to support the Urban Forest Green Spaces initiatives go to the website at: https://urbanforestgreenspaces.wordpress.com

Weekend Training in Tree Mapping

June 3-5, 2016

Dr. Andy Kenney and Forester Astrid Nielsen will lead you through the steps for identifying tree species, assessing tree health and mapping the location of trees in Champlain Park. The resulting inventory will show the economic value of trees to people due to energy conserved, stormwater filtered, air quality improved and carbon dioxide removed. And help the community retain its forest canopy.

The Workshop sessions take place on the following

Friday, June 3, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Saturday, June 4, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Sunday, June 5, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Participants must commit to attend at least 80% of the full workshop

Location
Meet at the Champlain Park Fieldhouse

Cost
Registration is $20 per person, includes refreshments and a field manual, space it limited to the first 25 registrants on a first come, first serve basis

Registration

To register please complete Tree Mapping Workshop registration form
For more information
Contact Adrian Bradley (adrian.bradley@sympatico.ca) or Daniel Buckles (dbuckles@sympatico.ca)

This workshop has been organized under the Urban Forest and Green Spaces projects of Champlain Park

New York’s urban revolution comes to Ottawa

Cities across North America are in the midst of an urban revolution, and we’re inviting you to a special evening to learn from one of the acknowledged leaders in this field.

RSVP for a special evening event with New York City’s Janette Sadik-Khan before it’s too late. On April 27, join us for a reception at Lansdowne Park’s Horticulture Pavilion at 6:00 p.m., followed by a special presentation at 7:00 p.m. We haven’t even begun advertising this event and there are already over 100 RSVPs!

Streetfight - New Yorks Urban Revolution Comes to Ottawa

Over the past decade, New York City boldly re-imagined its streets and public spaces to make way for pedestrians and cyclists. It spearheaded new approaches to making its streets healthier, safer and more dynamic while reducing pollution and fighting climate change. Former Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan was at the centre of it all, and will share the compelling story captured in her book Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution.

Ottawa is increasingly positioning itself to be an emerging North American leader in the movement for safer and more livable streets. City Council’s new Complete Streets Implementation plan has the potential to re-shape Ottawa’s urban fabric to benefit all transportation users, ages and abilities.

Read about Ecology Ottawa’s take on the Complete Streets Implementation Plan here. Janette Sadik-Khan will share tips on how to rethink, reinvigorate and redesign Ottawa, and her book will be available for purchase and signing.

This is a rare occasion to hear directly from a leader in urban sustainability, and spaces are limited.

To RSVP, click here now. In the meantime, check out Sadik-Khan’s inspiring TED Talk here.

Event details:

  • LOCATION: Horticulture Building in Lansdowne Park, 450 Queen Elizabeth Dr., Ottawa, ON, K1S 5J3
  • RECEPTION: 6:00 p.m.
  • PRESENTATION: 7:00 p.m.
  • COST: Free

We hope to see you there!

Graham, Neil, Velta, Jeremy, Alex, Tamsin, Jillian, Camilla, Robb and the Ecology Ottawa team

P.S. We’d like to thank the many organizations working together to make this event a success. They are, in no particular order:

  • Citizens for Safe Cycling
  • Nobel Women’s Initiative
  • Ottawa Centre EcoDistrict
  • Council on Aging of Ottawa
  • Sandy Hill Community Health Centre
  • Hintonburg Community Association
  • Healthy Transportation Coalition
  • Old Ottawa East Community Association
  • EnviroCentre
  • Riverview Park Community Association
  • Lowertown Community Association
  • Green Communities Canada – Active & Safe Routes to School Program
  • Jane’s Walk
  • Local Eco-Action Families
  • Dalhousie Community Association
  • Vanier Community Service Centre
  • Action Sandy Hill
  • Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital
  • Urban Forum
  • Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association
  • Sustainable Living Ottawa East
  • Centretown Citizens Community Association
  • City Councillor Mathieu Fleury
  • Tooker Gomberg Greenspiration Fund
  • City Councillor Catherine McKenney
  • Lowertown Community Resource Centre
  • Centretown Citizens Community Association
  • Rockcliffe Park Residents Association