Almost four years of Junior Streamkeeping has left its mark on the community.
The Greenways Land Trust program, which receives funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada and the City of Campbell River, connects local classrooms to the outdoors. One of the areas of focus is the stormwater management ponds set up by the city. The ponds act as filters for stormwater as well as habitat for wetland animals and birds. The Junior Streamkeepers have been busy augmenting the natural element of these areas by planting native plants along the edges of the ponds.
“Students are here today to plant around the edge of the pond because it increases the diversity of plant life and then the animals that would use those plants but it also provides shade for the pond to prevent the water from evaporating and allow more of it to go back into our freshwater systems our watershed,” said Kyle Fitzpatrick, Greenways’ education coordinator.
The program has two phases. The first phase took place between 2019 and 2022. In 2022, the second phase begun. It is slated to end in 2025.
Through the program, kids have some in-classroom work as well as outdoor work. That can include planting seeds that will later turn into the saplings to be planted. Since 2022, over 1,500 students have taken place in the program, removing over 500 kg of garbage and invasive plants along freshwater areas, as well as planting over 500 plants.
Now when people walk around the ponds, they’ll see the students’ handiwork. Most of the saplings and young plants along the banks of the ponds have been planted by Junior Streamkeepers.
“It helps show the value of these natural spaces in our urban centre,” said Fitzpatrick. “Not only to wildlife, but to the people who visit and enjoy it.”
Penfield Elementary teacher Jen Sheiles said that it “empowers the children feel like they can help nature. They really just love getting out and lending a hand in any way they can. It’s a nice way for them to be involved in the community. It’s so great to have the hands-on learning. It inspires the kids.”
Fitzpatrick agreed, saying that the idea that kids can return to the area again and again and see that they’ve made a difference is the biggest benefit to the program.
“What the students walk away with is a sense of appreciation for the environment and knowledge on how they can help to take care of it. A lot of the kids will return here in five or ten years or throughout their life, and they’ll be able to appreciate what they’ve done and see how it started from humble beginnings.
“They were actually able to help transform the landscape here.”
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