For more information on both opportunities click below and download this attachment.
>>> Green Toronto 3/19/2014 5:03 PM >>>
Hello Toronto Volunteers!
It's that time of year to get involved with Toronto's natural areas! This year we have two exciting on-going opportunities. We'll send out another email soon regarding Spring planting events!
The Community Stewardship Program is back for another year, and I hope you are all excited about the upcoming season!
And...
The Don Valley Brick Works Ambassador Program will continue for its second successful year.
Community Stewardship Program:
The Community Stewardship Program involves volunteers in on-going maintenance and monitoring activities at naturalization sites throughout the City. Participants work in a team that is guided by an experienced volunteer (team leader). Each team visits their site for 2 hours weekly from May until September, and can also attend a variety of special events and workshops. Although we do not expect you to be able to make it out every week, we ask that you can commit to at least half of the sessions.
Stewardship activities include weeding invasive non-native plant species, planting and maintaining native vegetation, mulching, collecting litter, building habitat brush bundles, and monitoring specific site conditions. Monitoring activities can include water chemistry, birds, vegetation and aquatic invertebrates. All training is provided and all levels of experience are welcome!
Stewardship Orientation night is scheduled for 7:00 pm Wednesday April 30th at Riverdale Farm. Please see the attached flyer for details and directions. We ask that you please register for orientation night by emailing greentoronto@toronto.ca if you intend to come. Because space is limited, only attend if you are a new volunteer to the program. If you are unable to attend, you can still join the program; just let me know in lieu of an RSVP. Please do not be late to orientation, as the Farm is closed in the evening to the general public, and the gate will be locked behind us at 7:15.
Please see the chart below for teams, meeting times, and start dates. Feel free to join more than one team. (See notes below for explanations of the Crothers Trails Team and the Don River Park team). Directions to all the sites have been attached to this email.
Site
|
Night
|
Time
|
Team Leaders
|
Start Date
|
Corktown Common*
|
Monday
|
6-8 pm
|
City Staff (Jessica Iraci)
|
TBD
|
Crothers Woods Trails**
|
Monday
|
6-8 pm
|
City Staff (Karen Sun)
|
May 5th
|
Nordheimer Ravine
|
Monday
|
6-8 pm
|
Susan Aaron
|
May 5th
|
Beechwood Wetland
|
Tuesday
|
6-8 pm
|
John Routh
|
May 13th
|
Don Valley Brick Works
|
Tuesday
|
6-8 pm
|
Al Yoshiki/ Jane Greenley
|
May 6th
|
Humber Bay Butterfly Habitat
|
Wednesday
|
6-8 pm
|
Peg Thoen
|
May 7th
|
Riverdale East Park
|
Wednesday
|
6-8 pm
|
Lise Beaupre
|
May 14th
|
Milne Hollow
Ambassador Program***
|
Thursday
Saturday
|
10 am-NOON
10 am-1 pm
|
Albert Fong/ Paul Abell
City Staff (Cheryl)
|
May 1st
May 10th
|
* The Corktown Common Stewardship team will not commence until the official opening of the new Don River Park sometime in 2014. If you are interested in this site, please attend orientation and consider joining another team in the meantime.
** The Crothers Woods Trails Stewardship team will operate somewhat separately from the main CSP. The focus of this team is the maintenance of natural surface trails in Crothers Woods. For further information or to register for this team, please contact trails@toronto.ca.
***Ambassadors are on-site at the Don Valley Brick Works on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month from May until September.
Let me know if you would like to join us! To register, or receive further information, please email greentoronto@toronto.ca or call 416-392-1948.
Don Valley Brick Works Park Ambassadors:
Ambassadors are volunteers trained to interact with visitors to the Don Valley Brick Works Park in order to help them better understand and appreciate this dynamic ecological restoration site.
An ambassador's primary responsibility is staffing the interpretation tent at the entrance to the Weston Quarry Gardens every other Saturday from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Ambassadors are there to engage with park users and answer questions about the park. If you are good with people, education, interpretation, or would just like to help people appreciate the park, then this is for you!
Ambassadors help to improve visitors' understanding of the importance of the park by providing interesting facts about the native ecology, geology, history, and restoration efforts undertaken to create such a unique urban natural area. Ambassadors can also help visitors interact with the site responsibly by encouraging proper respect for the natural environment.
Ambassador Orientation is scheduled on Saturday April 12th from 10:00 am-Noon at the Don Valley Brick Works. You must register to be part of orientation and this program. To register, or receive further information, please email greentoronto@toronto.ca or call 416-392-1948.
Thanks so much for your interest and for reading such a long email! Remember to RSVP for either (or both!) orientation sessions.
See you out there,
Cheryl and Jessica