Category: Land and Nature

Community and natural/organic gardening, park stewardship, rewilding, forest management, litter clean up.

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Friends and Stewards of Dorchester Hosts Birding and Painting Events as part of the Graceful Aging Project

The Friends and Stewards of Dorchester Park, this past week, hosted two events as part of the Graceful Aging Through Connecting with Nature, GATCWN, Project supported by the Government of Canada and coordinated by the Brampton Environmental Alliance.

“Spring Birding in the Park” was this past Saturday May 20th. Cold and rain, discouraged picture taking but the event was still attended by 7 hardy souls, 5 of whom were seniors. With the aid of “Birding Kits” courtesy of the Brampton Library and Bird Studies Canada. the group learned some useful tips for using binoculars, and learned about the importance of growing native species and removing invasives to support bird habitat. They also learned tips for birding success and where to find additional resources to be even more successful bird-watchers. And, of course they saw a number of bird species including: Downey Woodpecker, American Robin, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrow, Red Eyed Vireo, Northern Cardinal, Common Grackles, Red Winged Blackbird, Blue Jay, Mallard Duck and even a Swanson Thrush. Good spotting!

Participants received prizes to build their own birding kits for future outings.

Did you know that outdoor household cats are responsible for killing an estimated 2.5 Billion birds every year? They are one of the leading causes of bird mortality, according researchers at the University of Guelph. Keep your cats indoors to protect birds from predation!

“Discovering Dorchester Park through Plein Air Painting”, the second GATCWN event of the week, was held on Tuesday evening May 23rd.

Stephanie Schirm, a local artist and art educator, led the class in landscape painting on a beautiful spring evening.

The group had a wonderful time and did a fine job of capturing the beauty of the local park landscape!

Two more GATCWN events are scheduled for this weekend. Discover Native Flowers in Dorchester Park tomorrow from 10-11:30am. Click here to register. On Sunday attend a Park Cleanup event hosted by People Against Littering. Register here. Meet at Creditview Park 10-11:30am

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Dorchester Park Gets a Spring Cleanup from its Friends & Stewards

The Friends & Stewards of Dorchester Park launched their 2023 season this past Saturday April 29th, with a park stewardship startup event. This involved clearing out invasive species, making it easier for native, “pollinator friendly” plants to flourish. Funds from the Graceful Aging Through Connecting with Nature project, (GATCWN), helped the group purchase a tent to help promote the event and protect participants from the wet .

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Great turnout at the 2023 Earth Day Festival despite the Wet!

It was like déja vu all over again! Earth Day, Saturday April 22, 2023 dawned almost identically to the same day last year, cold, rain and, wind. Perhaps not quite as cold, but almost. As one of the exhibitors expressed, “It’s the Earth crying about all the horrible things we’ve done to her in the last year.”

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It’s April 2023, How Should You Recognize Earth Month, Day, Hour

Ah April! With longer days, the cloak of winter darkness rests lighter on our shoulders. The warmer sun thaws our blood and makes our spirits rise. April is a month of rebirth and awakening; a time to give thanks for the joy of seasons, the laughter of children playing outside, the birds singing and the plants greening, April is also Earth Month, a time to celebrate nature’s bounty and to give thanks for the ecosystem services provided to us by the plants, animals, water and air that surrounds us and supports us. Earth Day on April 22nd, is a time to honour the achievements of the environmental movement and raise awareness of the need to protect the Earth’s natural resources for future generations.

Some would argue the environmental movement merely slows down progress and adds costs to development projects. History shows, however, that unbridled progress often leads to unintended environmental consequences and the potential for human catastrophe. Let me offer a few examples.

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Coles Notes on the Greenbelt

Streaker draws the wrong kind of attention at recent Juno awards

[Updated version March 22, 2023 correcting statements made regarding historical landowner compensation]

The topless streaker at Sunday March 12th’s Juno awards ceremonies garnered more news attention for the potty-mouthed reaction from music award presenter Avril Lavigne than it did to the messages the streaker displayed on her body, “Land-back” and “Save the Greenbelt”. That’s unfortunate. We need more adult conversations about how we are using the precious land resources contained within our borders, including and maybe especially the, (as yet), undeveloped land that surrounds our major Canadian cities.

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Coyotes! It’s time, (once again), to set the record straight

Coyote in grass

Brampton has been all over the news in the last two days because a family of coyotes have chosen a school yard as a place to hang out. Recent sightings on the property of Our Lady of Peace Separate School prompted staff to keep students inside during recess over the past few days. Concerned parents are asking the City to remove the coyotes by trapping or culling as they fear the coyotes present a threat to their children’s safety. While somewhat understandable, this reaction is unfortunate and the action called for would likely be ineffective.

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