The Biodiversity team is organizing some spring work parties and new volunteers (and our dedicated crew of regulars) are very much welcome and appreciated! The team is planning to continue with garlic mustard pulls on the Ridge Side Trail and along the Duff Pit Side Trail. Volunteers will be weeding wildflower plots on the Springle property north of Limehouse, removing fencing, cutting grass, and checking the new American Chestnut trees planted last year. Work parties go from May 17 to June 7. For a complete rundown of the 9 scheduled days (some weekend, some weekdays), please read below.
Thanks for all you do to volunteer with us.
Rose-Mary Mitter
Toronto Bruce Trail Club
Biodiversity Team
tbtcbiodiversity@gmail.com
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Work Party Schedule
Work parties meet at 10 AM and finish at 2 PM
Garlic Mustard Pulls:
Garlic Mustard plants are not difficult to identify and generally pull out quite easily. They are placed into black garbage bags which are left to ‘cook’ the plant material in the sun for several months until the seeds are dead.
You will need to bring gloves, garbage bags will be provided.
We are looking for between 5 to 20 volunteers for each work party
May 17 (Wed) Garlic Mustard Pull, Maple Ridge
May 20 (Sat) Garlic Mustard Pull, Duff Pit
May 24 (Wed) Garlic Mustard Pull, Maple Ridge
May 27 (Sat) Garlic Mustard Pull, Duff Pit
May 21 (Sun) Springle property 5-10 Volunteers
We will be checking and weeding the wildflower plots which were planted in 2021. We will put back the Monarch watering stations for the summer, remove some no longer needed fencing on the wildflower plots and clean up around the boot brush stations (more garlic mustard)
You will be using shovels and gardening tools. Bring gloves, all other equipment will be provided.
May 28 (Sun) Duff Pit, Removing Scots Pine 5-10 Volunteers
We will be checking the areas where we cleared Scots Pine in the past two years and pulling up seedlings and saplings (2-3″ to 1-2′) that we missed when we cleared the larger trees. There will be many small seedlings that have grown in the past 1-2 years from seeds. We may also find a few larger trees that we overlooked.
Gloves are needed. We’ll will bring loppers and folding saws for anything to large to pull.
May 31 (Wed) Springle, American Chestnuts 5-10 Volunteers
We will be back on Springle to check on the American Chestnut trees planted last fall. We’ll inventory how many survived, make sure the grass is cut back to give them some space to grow and ensure the tree guards are properly placed to prevent the deer from eating the tips.
Jun 3 (Sat) Speyside Woods property 5-15 Volunteers
A colony of Scots Pine were found on the Speyside Woods property last year and we will start work to remove any smaller to medium size (less than 10′) trees we find. The larger trees will be left for a chainsaw crew. You’ll be using loppers and bow saws as these trees will for the most part be too large to just pull out.
Bring gloves. We will bring loppers, bow saws, and any other equipment needed
Jun 7 (Wed) Speyside Woods property 5-15 Volunteers
We will continue with clearing Scots Pine from this location on Speyside Woods.
Rain Days June 11 (Sun) June 14 (Wed) and June 17 (Sat)
If a work party is cancelled due to heavy rain or other circumstance, we will try to reschedule the work to be done on these dates.
Please Note:
No experience is necessary and we welcome you to come on any of the work days. For students who are looking for community service hours, this work does qualify.
Please let me know on which day or days you are interested in volunteering. More information will be sent closer to the actual date regarding each work party with directions and any other relevant information.
An email will be sent before each scheduled work day to notify of changes due to
weather or other circumstances to all who have signed up for that day.
Time: Work parties will usually meet at 10:00 am and finish at 2:00 pm
What to Bring: Water and lunch or a snack, insect repellent, work or gardening gloves, a hat
Sunblock or rain gear depending on the forecast
Wear working clothes and a sturdy pair of boots or shoes, (no
light running shoes or sandals please) or rubber or waterproof
boots if required
You may want to bring a change of clothes or footwear if
conditions are wet or muddy
Thanks for your consideration,
Rose-Mary Mitter
Toronto Bruce Trail Club
Biodiversity Team