Through ecological restoration we can restore our own connection to the natural world.

Hello everyone, its Martin Tamlyn here, coordinator of the Old-Growth Forest Project. I hope this rainy spring finds you well. I know all the newly planted trees are happy with the wet weather.

You are receiving this first bi-annual e-newsletter either because you have helped us in the past or have requested to be updated on news and events from the Ignatius Old-Growth Forest Project.

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Project Update
What a grace-filled past year we've had! With the help of almost 1000 students and volunteers we initiated the restoration of a further 10 acres of forest and wetland. Thanks to the ongoing support from the County of Wellington's Green Legacy Programme we planted 2000 trees and shrubs. We also removed invasive plant species such as buckthorn, phragmites and garlic mustard.

We hosted a variety of events and workdays. These included: creating bird habitats, learning about the night-time world of moths, re-establishing forests and natural approaches to controlling invasive plant species.

We have already planted a further 1000 trees this spring with a further 1,500 still to go in before the end of June! Other work this year will include replacing damages boardwalks, clearing Marden Creek of wood debris and stabilizing the creek banks.

Volunteer and group opportunities
None of these restoration goals could be reached without the help and support of the community. We are truly thankful to all those folk that have given the gift of time or money to the project.

Volunteer opportunities are available all year round and every Wednesday from 10am-3pm throughout the summer months. We will be working on projects such as planting trees along Marden Creek, building boardwalks, clearing invasive buckthorn and collecting seeds for propagation.
  Our school and group programming is individually tailored to suit the needs of each group. Programs include hands-on ecosystem restoration, guided forest hikes and nature connection activities. 



 
Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund (GLGCF)

We were grateful to be recipients of the GLGC fund last year awarded to us by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change to continue our great work on watershed health and ecosystem restoration. Thanks to these funds we secured a 6-month contract to assist with the restoration of both stream bridges, install 300 feet of boardwalk along seasonally wet areas of the Jim Profit SJ trail, purchase new restoration tools and install 4 new interpretive signs!

Upcoming Events

We are excited to offer a number of events again this season that provide opportunity for folks to work together in celebrating and restoring nature.

Plant a Forest- Saturday June 10, 10am-1pm
  
Come out for a morning of tree planting and help bring back our local forests  for future generations! With thanks to the County of Wellington's Green Legacy Programme we will be planting red & white pine, cherry, elm, birch, hickory and walnut trees .

Moths at Night- led by Andalyne Tofflemire - Saturday June 24, 8pm-12am
This evening event will open your eyes to incredible diversity of moths! Using a black-light and simple white sheet, we'll attract nearby moths for a closer look. With over 3,000 species believed to live in Ontario, there's bound to be something new turn up!

Healthy Streams, Happy Fish! - Saturday July 22, 9am-12:30pm
Interested in "getting your feet wet" in stream rehabilitation? Join Ignatius staff and   Trout Unlimited volunteers for a morning of in-stream work to further improve the health of Marden Creek as a home for brook trout, sculpin and an abundance of other wildlife!

Working with Seeds - Saturday September 16th
Come learn about winter seed preparation. The morning will be spent harvesting tree/ shrub seeds at Ignatius before travelling to the Green Legacy Tree Nursery for a BBQ lunch, tour and hands-on seeds processing.

Don't forget, you can hike the trails all year round! - trail map

 
THE UPSIDE TO THE DOWNSIDE OF RHAMNUS
(from the IJC Voice e-newsletter, April 2017)

Rhamnus cathartica or Common Buckthorn is an invasive tree that can quickly dominate the understory of the forest or open meadow. Its removal and replacement with native trees predominates much of the project's summer restoration work. It is a very hard wood with a distinctive orange colour which could make it a desirable commodity for woodworking! Local biologist and instrument maker Doug Larson is currently working with a group of other foresters and land managers to study Buckthorn's potentialas a viable alternative to the now banned tropical Rosewoods in the use of guitar making. Here are two guitars (fingerboard and bridges) that have been made using Rhamnus harvested a year ago at IJC. They look beautiful and sound just as good!

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