Category: Environment

Tree Seedlings – October 15

via Heather…

FYI.  Hi.  In case you are interested, there are free trees on offer.  As for the other three docs: the CAFES Tree Manual is pretty darn good; Ecology Ottawa’s “How to Plant” is a simple guide for people who don’t already know how to plant trees; and, the Just Food Community Farm map is neat for those interested in taking a look at what’s being done on NCC lands by some Ottawa groups vis a vis sustainable agriculture.  It could be an interesting half-day trip for families.
Continue reading “Tree Seedlings – October 15” →

Naturehood Club Fall Bird Walks

Upcoming Outings

Fall Bird Walks

Date: Tuesday mornings (September 13- ?)
Time: 7:00 AM – 7:45 AM
Location: Pollinator Garden (north end of Carleton Avenue)
Leader: Jennifer Neate

Description:
As we move into September and the days grow shorter, the fall migrants are starting to travel through Champlain Park. Come out and meet some of the resident and migrant birds of your naturehood on this family-friendly outing. Fall birds are notoriously challenging to identify with their faded plumage and lack of song. So, prepare to put your powers of observation to the test as we attempt to locate and identify migrants as they prepare for their long journey south. 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.” You may also email me if you would like to be added to the Naturehood Club list to be informed of future events.

Heritage Oak Legacy Project

As many of you know, a “Champlain Oak” some 170 years old (pre-confederation) was lost on Patricia Avenue following the “derecho” storm in May, 2022. A link to the full story of “The Party Tree” is here: https://www.champlainoaks.net/post/ode-to-the-party-tree.

Some of the wood from the tree was “rescued,” with the help of many neighbours. It has been milled for future projects, once it has dried.

[Chunk of wood sawn into a slab]

In the meantime, you can have a piece of the legacy in the form of a slab from the milled lumber (picture above). The slabs come in various lengths (2 feet to 6 feet), widths (4-8 inches) and thicknesses (2-4 inches), including bark.

With a minimum of work, they can be converted into a charcuterie cheese board, coat rack, key-holder, or wood feature in your house or yard (oak will last many years outdoors).

All residents of Champlain Park are welcome to pick one up, on a first come, first served basis. Text me at 613-807-8048. A donation would be welcome, and go towards a nursery for replacement with seedlings from remaining Champlain Oaks in the neighbourhood.

Daniel Buckles

Restoring Native Biodiversity

[Turkey crossing an asphalt road, pecking at it]

The Daniel Avenue turkey (A.K.A. the Patricia Avenue turkey) has delighted our front and back yard vistas all summer long, another sign of native biodiversity coming back to life in Champlain Park. Last summer a deer spent a month or so grazing the same area, rabbits abound everywhere, and we have enjoyed glimpses of foxes here and there. The ground hogs are not as much fun, or the occasional skunk, but overall relatively harmless creatures if left alone.

More widely appreciated are the trees and gardens along the de-paved section of Pontiac Avenue, and in various fragments of the NCC forest (A.K.A. the Champlain Woodlands). To celebrate these spaces, the Environment Committee has installed a sign at the ball diamond. The piece of wood is from the same Grandmother oak tree removed in 2011 from Northwestern Avenue that also graces the outside wall of the Field House (the dated cookie). The tree was a sapling in 1857, a decade before Canada became a country.

[Half circle tree slice with writing, on a post]

Sebastian Hadjiantoniou from Daniel Avenue created the sign while Mark Hartley of Clearview Avenue built the stand (and the earlier installation on the Field House). Our stalwart captain of engineering works, Kris Phillips of Northwestern Avenue dug the hole and poured the cement base. Daniel Buckles (Daniel on Daniel) launched the project, donated the wood and stickhandled the various bureaucracies to get it done.

Heartfelt thanks to the Champlain Park Community Association for important financial and administrative support, and to the office of Councillor Jeff Leiper, where a solution to the permissions puzzle was found. The City of Ottawa provided funding for tree planting on the various terraces, as did the the Ottawa family of Peter Sims (1980-2021), a committed climate activist.

We hope you are enjoying the trees and gardens this summer, along with the flowering and edible planters. The sign is intended to give local residents and the many people that pass through our community a bit of the story behind restoring native biodiversity in Champlain Park.

Little Forest and Pollinator Garden Tour – August 14

Tree and Garden Tour in Champlain Park

Sunday, August 14, 3:00 to 5:00 PM

Join John Arnason (Ethnobotanist), Owen Clarkin (Tree specialist), and Daniel Buckles (Community animator) for a tour of the pollinator gardens, “tiny forests,” and nearby woodlands of Champlain Park in Kitchissippi. Talks on plants, policies and the passion for nature.

Starts at 3:00 PM at the Field House, facing 150 Cowley Avenue.

Note: Outdoor event, physical distancing, masked or unmasked. Wear long pants and shoes, if you want to check out the trees in the forest.

[Growth in the Pollinator Garden 2022]

Pollinator Garden is Open

The Champlain Park Community Association is pleased to welcome one and all to our neighbourhood’s public Pollinator Garden. Come enjoy the flowers and try to spot the Monarch Butterflies. Access can be gained on the side of the garden facing Pontiac St. Please remain on the pathways when visiting; feel free to bring some water for the plants.

While in the area you can also visit the new Rain Garden, Planters, and our nascent mini-forests along Pontiac St. So much to see-and it will only get even better with time.

Many thanks to our Committee green thumbs for all their hard work in curating, planting and caring for these wonderful additions to our neighbourhood-special thanks to Kris, John, Catherine, Daniel, Joscelyn and all of our Planter Caretakers!

[Pollinator Garden front view]
Continue reading “Pollinator Garden is Open” →

Patricia Oak News

via Daniel…

Daniel Buckles published today an OPED in the Ottawa Citizen on the loss of the Patricia Avenue “Party Tree” and the importance of heritage trees and planting native/near-native species to the urban canopy. The pre-confederation tree was irreparably damaged in last month’s big derecho storm. Please share as you see fit.

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/buckles-ode-to-the-party-tree-a-reminder-of-why-ottawas-urban-canopy-matters

[Giant Bur Oak on Patricia]

Patricia Oak Celebration – June 14

Celebration of life

Patricia Avenue neighbours invite one and all to gather opposite 203 Patricia Avenue to celebrate the life of an old-growth burr oak on the street. It is known as “The Party Tree” because for years the shade of the tree hosted the Patricia Avenue Labour Day street party.

The tree is being removed by Forestry Services on Wednesday, June 15 because it was irreparably damaged by the recent fierce storm (derecho).

Drop by tomorrow (Tuesday, June 14) between 7 and 8 pm, to share stories with neighbours about this and other significant trees. The Patricia Bur Oak is one of only a handful of pre-confederation trees in the neighbourhood, linked genetically to the ancient oak forest that developed along this stretch of the Ottawa River some 9,000 years ago (for details on the history, see https://www.champlainoaks.net/ and in particular https://www.champlainoaks.net/post/ode-to-the-party-tree).

[Giant Bur Oak on Patricia]

Spongy Moth Burlap Kits Available

The Trees Need Your Help

The Spongy moth (Lymantria dispar dispar), formerly known as the Gypsy Moth, is a non-native and invasive insect in Ontario that defoliates forests. Last summer the moth population surged, causing widespread damage. It is back, and doing harm to trees in Champlain Park, including the heritage bur oaks.

The City has provided the community environment team with burlap, string and instructions for how you can protect trees on your property and in our public spaces such as the Park. Please contact Daniel Buckles if you want to protect a tree, and make arrangements to pick up the materials. You can also remove the insects on small trees by hand (protect yourself with gloves). For details on installing the burlap see the City website on Spongy Moth.

For burlap kits, contact: dbuckles@sas2.net (613-807-8048).

The insect looks like this in June through August.

[Spongy moth, or Lymantria dispar dispar (LDD), is an insect formerly known as “Gypsy Moth”. It feeds on the foliage of trees during the caterpillar phase of its lifecycle.]