Author: AGMS

I'm a game programmer, doing pretty much everything (from Wii, Kinect to iPad). On the side, just for fun, I write file systems (for the nifty BeOS/Haiku operating system) and experiment with metadata.

Spring Cleanup 2023 – May 6

Nope, nope, way too rainy this final weekend of April (April showers?). We’ve decided to move spring cleanup to the following week. Sorry for the confusion.

Time to limber up and to get ready to stoop, scoop, lunge and squat our way to a cleaner community!

It’s a great way to get some exercise and help make our neighbourhood beautiful at the same time.

When: Saturday May 6th (in case of rain May 7)

Where: meet outside the Champlain Park fieldhouse at 10am and pick up a garbage bag and gloves. We’ll also provide snacks to tide you over! Children should be accompanied by an adult.

What: Choose a part of the neighbourhood and pick up any garbage you see and make our neighbourhood clean and beautiful. Dispose of the garbage bag with your normal household garbage/recycling/composting.

[Poster for 2023 Spring Cleanup]
Spring cleanup CPCA 2023 poster v2.pdf

2023 Champlain Park Chess Tournament

Join the 3rd annual tournament of the Champlain Park Chess League for the Spring/summer 2023. A ladder format will be used, so sign up, then challenge a neighbour to a game of online chess (many online sites exist) and move up the ladder ranking. Top four players will then play off at the end of summer to crown the champion. Congrats to Vitaly who won last year!

To sign up, email Nick at chparkevents@yahoo.com

Rules:

  • To move up the ladder you can challenge any player above you or anyone anywhere below you. If you win you switch ranks with them on the ladder.
  • To challenge someone, send them an email and choose your chess online website to play (i.e. chess.com). You can choose to play with time limits or not or any other format agreed upon by both players. If there is no agreement then the higher ranked player chooses the format. If the opposing player does not play their turn within 5 days then they default the game (unless both sides agreed to take a break or allow longer).
  • If someone is not playing anyone and turns down 3 challenges in a row then they automatically go to the bottom of the ladder.
  • Top four ranked players in the ladder who have played at least 5 games on Oct 1 will play a tournament. Format will be #1 plays #4 and #2 plays #3 – in a one-game winner goes to final format. Final 2 winners play each other in a best of 3 final tournament (first one who wins 2 games). The winner of the best of 3 final is crowned the Champlain Park Chess Champion of 2023!

Spring Naturehood Bird Walks

Upcoming Naturehood Outings

Spring Bird Walks

Date: Friday mornings (May 5 – early June)
Time: 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Location: Champlain Park Pollinator Garden (Carleton and Pontiac)
Leader: Jennifer Neate

Description:

As the natural world awakens from its winter sleep, the feathered migrants have begun to arrive! Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Eastern Phoebes and Chipping Sparrows have added their voices to the morning chorus and they will soon be joined by a colourful kaleidoscope of warblers.

[Adorable small Setophaga pinus (Pine Warbler) songbird sitting on tree branch. Photo by Skyler Ewing from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/adorable-small-setophaga-pinus-songbird-sitting-on-tree-branch-7645629/]

Come out and meet some of the resident and migrant birds of your naturehood on this family-friendly outing. We will see who we can find together and practice some basic skills that will help you to locate and identify the birds around you. Bring your curiosity, a set of binoculars and a bird field guide, if you have one.

Registration is not required but if you would like to be notified of cancellations due to weather, feel free to send an email to jen@spiritwalkers.ca with the subject: “Naturehood Outing.”

Planting Spots Available

Room to Bloom

Calling all gardeners (or wannabees)!

Have you noticed the large concrete planters at the north end of Champlain Park? You know the ones, they block off the de-paved section of Pontiac by the Environment Committee’s Pollinator Garden and its forest terraces.

These planters are planted and tended annually by some very avid gardeners, some of whom may also happen to be your neighbours. This year, some planters remain available, and we are looking for someone to fill them with some wonderful colours or greenery.

[Freshly planted Planter at Pontiac Street depaved area]

As the adoptive parent of a planter, you would be responsible for filling it with non-invasive herbs, vegetables, or colourful flowers, and then tending it for the season.

Please reach out to Alexandra at alexandra@evershed.ca if you are interested.

Thank you for helping make our community just a little greener. Every action helps!

Champlain Park Environment Committee

The Champlain Park Environment Team Needs YOU!

The ‘green season’ is once again upon us and we need your help to care for and advance the environmental work we’re doing in our neighbourhood. We’ve got activities that suit all ages, physical / skill ability ranges, and energy levels! If you like ‘low tech’, and love trees, then we’ve got what you’re looking for.

[Photographers admiring the pollinator garden in 2022]

All you have to do is register with us (https://champlainpark.org/environteers/) and then you will be free to work when you want, on any project we’ve got, for as long as you like – 5 mins or 5 weeks, we have a spot for you!

We’ll provide the coordination, an orientation session, and a ‘report back’ contact so we can track what is getting done. It’s almost too easy.

[Volunteers planting the initial Little Forest in 2021, look closely to see a bird on the rope! Photo by John Arnason]

Some activities planned for this season in Champlain Woods and Champlain Park include:

  • ‘Adopt a Tree’ care program (May/June-spongy moth countermeasures featuring the ‘burlap wrap’ in the Park)
  • Invasive plant species control (garlic mustard, baby buckthorn, Japanese knotwood, dog strangling vine, etc)
  • Insect pest patrol
  • Watering and general care of planting sites and the pollinator garden
  • New tree planting projects

[The Little Forest starting to grow up, in 2022]

To get involved, just go to the “Environ-teer Registration” link noted above. Once registered you will begin receiving notices about orientation sessions, work party updates, and any tasks that may require immediate attention. From that point, you are free to chip-in to our projects when you’re able.

Minors are welcome to participate – parental/guardian permission and supervision are currently required at the time/location of participation.

We look forward to seeing you. Have a great summer!

The Champlain Park Enviro Team

Paper about Champlain Park Forest Diversity Efforts Published!

Published in Trail & Landscape 57(2) April-June 2023

Community Stewardship and Biodiversity Enhancement of Public Greenspaces

Daniel Buckles1,2, Catherine Shearer1, Kris Phillips1, Adrian Bradley1, Chieu-Anh Ta3, Braydon Hall3 and John Thor Arnason1,3*

1. Champlain Park Environment Committee, Kitchissippi, Ottawa ON
2. Sociology and Anthropology Department, Carleton University, Ottawa ON
3. Biology Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON
* Corresponding authors: dbuckles@sas2.net, john.arnason@uottawa.ca

Abstract: Plant biodiversity in urban woodlands near the Ottawa River was assessed and found to have low native biodiversity. Community volunteers responded by planting native trees using various techniques (Hügelkultur mounds, Miyawaki or “Tiny Forest” plantations, terracing) and establishing several native pollinator gardens. Biodiversity enhancement included both native Great Lakes and St. Lawrence forest species and Carolinian species, with attention to ethnobotanical and forest food species as well as herbaceous plants supporting native pollinators. The experience suggests that community stewardship of public greenspaces offers an efficient and effective means to achieve meaningful conservation and public education outcomes.

Keywords: Native plants, Carolinian species, biodiversity enhancement, Hügelkultur mounds, medicinal plants, food forest, pollinator garden.

[First page of the paper]
Get the PDF of the whole very well illustrated paper from Community Stewardship and Biodiversity Enhancement of Public Greenspaces.pdf

Spring Cleanup 2023 – April 29

Nope, nope, way too rainy this final weekend of April (April showers?). We’ve decided to move spring cleanup to the following week. Sorry for the confusion. See the new post for the new dates.

Time to limber up and to get ready to stoop, scoop, lunge and squat our way to a cleaner community!

It’s a great way to get some exercise and help make our neighbourhood beautiful at the same time.

When: April 29th (in case of rain April 30th)

Where: meet outside the Champlain Park fieldhouse at 10am and pick up a garbage bag and gloves. We’ll also provide snacks to tide you over! Children should be accompanied by an adult.

What: Choose a part of the neighbourhood and pick up any garbage you see and make our neighbourhood clean and beautiful. Dispose of the garbage bag with your normal household garbage/recycling/composting.

[Poster for 2023 Spring Cleanup]
Spring cleanup CPCA 2023 poster.pdf

Tips for Disposing of Branches

From https://ottawa.ca/en/storm-cleanup-april-2023 via Jeff Leiper:

What to do with debris and waste

Debris separation:

  • Household waste: Place at the curb as part of regular garbage and recycling collection
  • Organic waste: Spoiled organics can be stored in the freezer then place at the curb for weekly green bin pickup. For those with more urgent need to dispose of food waste, a large bin will be available at the Trail Waste Facility at no charge from Monday, April 10 to Saturday, April 15. Trail Waste Facility hours of operation are below.
  • Tree cuttings, branches and brush: Place at the curb separate from non-organic, storm-related waste. To allow collection, we encourage branches to be tied with twine in bundles of less than 1.2 m (4 ft.) in length and 60 cm (2 ft.) in width, and that bundles or containers weigh no more than 15 kg (33 lb.). Individual branches should be less than 10 cm (4 in.) in diameter. Larger tree cuttings, branches and brush may be brought to the City’s Trail Waste Facility at no charge until further notice. Otherwise, these may wait, curbside, for chipping or collection by specialized City and contracted crews. There is no need to call 3-1-1 at this time.
  • Household hazardous waste: Visit the Waste Explorer on ottawa.ca for disposal information

Do not stack or lean: Do not place debris near or on trees, poles or other structures as this makes removal difficult. This includes fire hydrants and meters.

If you don’t have a sidewalk, ditch, or utility line in front of your house, place debris at the edge of your property before the curb.

Trees
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