Earth Day in the Coves 2010
Project: Coves Cleanup
To mark Earth Day 2010 Friends of the Coves has been busy with numerous clean up and planting events.
On Thursday 22nd March, 20 staff members from Union Gas took part in a clean up in Euston Park. Volunteers also planted several native trees and shrubs paid for with funds donated by Union Gas.
It was the 19th Annual Coves Clean Up on Saturday April 24th. Two hundred Scouts and their families planted trees at Springbank Flats whilst 75 volunteers from the local community cleaned up Greenway Park, the West and East Pond shorelines and East Pond Woods.
Volunteers retreive a shopping cart from the Thames River
The day also marked the grant received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation for $59,600 which will fund salary and administration costs associated with the 2010 Coves Stewardship Program. This investment in resources will help Londoners protect water quality and the habitat of native animals and plant species. Chris Bentley , MPP London West and Denis Gadwa from the Ontario Trillium Foundation made the announcement of the grant, Chris Bentley said,“Today marks another milestone in the work by Friends to clean up, protect and restore this unique watershed for the benefit of all”
Thom and Jaclyn of Friends of the Coves receive the grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
A note of thanks must go to the sponsors of this years Coves Clean Up:
- The Little Red Roaster who kept our volunteers hydrated with free coffee
- Ian from Landmark Landscaping who transported all the scrap metal collected from the clean up to the recycling centre
- The City of London for providing mulch for the planting project.
- The Thames River Clean Up and their sponsors for organizing clean ups along the entire Thames River corridor, organizing the canoe draw, supplying garbage bags, work gloves and water bottles for the volunteers.
The draw for the canoe (donated by Nova Craft Canoe) which all clean up volunteers were eligible to enter will take place this Friday, May 7th, the winner will be notified that evening.
Kensal Park Public School students were busy over the last week planting more than 200 trees at Springbank Flats. This continued the work of the Scouts to create a woodland area that will act as a green link between Greenway Park and the Coves allowing easier migration and movement for animals between the Coves and the Thames River.
The Earth Day events have been a fantastic success and we wish to thank all those who participated in them!
Native tree planting at Springbank Flats