The City of Peterborough and a group of environmental and other organizations are hosting a free family-friendly event on Saturday (May 14) to underscore the importance of restoring the urban tree canopy in the city.
‘Trees for Canopy Conservation’ takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Beavermead Park in Peterborough. As part of the event, the city will be giving away 300 trees to property owners (one per household) who previously registered for the giveaway on April 21. The free trees are intended to replace some of the healthy trees that are removed by residents for various reasons under the city’s tree removal by-law.
Presented by the city and For Our Grandchildren (4RG), partner organizations for Saturday’s event include GreenUP’s Ecology Park, The Sacred Water Circle, Otonabee Region Conservation Authority, Peterborough Youth Empowerment, Peterborough Alliance for Climate Action, Camp Kawartha, Kawartha Land Trust, Peterborough Kawartha Rotary, and Catchacoma Forest Stewardship Committee.
“I am delighted that the 300 trees on offer from the city were spoken for so quickly,” says 4RG president Guy Hanchet in a media release, referring to the fact all 300 trees were assigned to registrants within the first two hours of registration. “It indicates a high level of interest from citizens who want to fight climate change and restore the tree canopy.”
Along with giving out the 300 trees to registrants, the city and GreenUP’s Ecology Park will be providing a presentation on care and planting of trees.
4RG will be providing information on the value of trees and how they help with climate change with interactive tables, as well as a ribbon tree and a display to learn more about different types of trees and the wood they provide.
Children can have fun learning about trees while watching Glen Caradus’s Paddling Puppeteer show and listening to some of his merry tunes. There will also be a craft table with tree-themed activities.
Camp Kawartha will have an interactive table, and The Sacred Water Circle will provide a First Nations perspective and drumming.
The Cabin at the entrance to Beavermead Park at 2011 Ashburnham Road will be open for food, and attendees can also visit Enniskillen General Store in Marsdale Plaza across from Beavermead Park for an ice cream cone.
