Toonies for Trees Campaign

2014 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Simran Panesar was a finalist in the 2014 Central Alberta CFW contest. A grade 8 student from A. Blair McPherson School in Edmonton, Simran had a local and global perspective to her project.

Simran’s concern about her watershed was soil erosion. Erosion is a local issue on the banks North Saskatchewan River, and a global issue as well. According to scientist Tim Radford, 10 million hectares of land are eroded every year.

There were two parts to Simran’s project; Part 1 was to plant tree saplings by the North Saskatchewan River and Part 2 was to fundraise money for the Canopy Project.

Part 1- Tree Planting
Working with the Edmonton based organization “Roots for Trees”, three grade 6 classes from A Blair McPherson School went to Gold Bar park to plant trees. With instructions and equipment supplied, they were able to plant 463 trees. Simran personally visited each class before the trip to teach them about why they would be planting trees and how it will help the watershed.

Part 2- Canopy Project
The second part of Simran’s project was to raise money for the international Canopy Project. Over the past 3 years they have planted 1.5 million trees in 18 countries. For every dollar they receive they plant one tree in a place that needs them. To raise money Simran hosted a $2 showing of The Lorax movie. She also sold $2 tickets for a draw for some cool prizes donated by a local business Thurber Engineering LTD. Altogether, she raised $413 (or 413 trees) for the project!

Water Quality Testing

2014 Peguis First Nation, Manitoba, Canada

In 2013, Lake Winnipeg was named the most threatened lake in the world. For students at Peguis Central School, water quality is an especially important issue. These students live near Lake Winnipeg, and along the Fisher River which feeds into the lake. Kayla and Kelly are learning how nitrates and phosphates could affect the lake.

“Our project is to conduct scientific testing on the Fisher River to see whether it is a significant contributor to algal blooms, which have occurred on Lake Winnipeg.”

This project is part of a multi-year initiative that the school is taking to look at the Fisher River, and determine how it relates to Lake Winnipeg. The goal for these students is to obtain ten-years of data, so they can see if and how the water quality changes over time. Next year, Kelly and Kayla will be mentoring younger students at their school so that the project can carry on once the girls graduate. Thanks to Nutrien, they were able to purchase a new test kit to continue their research!

Insect hotels: Accommodating Biodiversity

2014 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Alana Krug-McLeod from Aden Bowman Collegiate in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, proposed the idea of improving the South Saskatchewan River Watershed through increasing insect biodiversity. Her proposal was to build three separate Insect Hotels in Saskatoon with educational signage and an associated website that explained the benefits of insect biodiversity and the importance of habitat provision like Insect Hotels for improving nearby aquatic ecosystems. Alana explained in her proposal that “…insect hotel typically consists of a solid structure or frame filled with organic and inorganic materials, a formation that serves to provide habitat for insects.” The types of material such as bricks, bamboo, drilled logs, bark affect what varieties of insects check-in at a given hotel.

Once built, insect hotels attract creatures such as lacewings, ladybugs, and mason bees. Alana explained at the Caring for our Watersheds final competition that these beneficial insects eat aphids and other destructive pests, pollinate plants so they can bear fruit or vegetables, and serve as decomposers of organic material. Alana felt that Insects Hotels could not only increase local biodiversity but also provide the opportunity for uniquely engaging her community to learn about insects and potentially inspire them to build their own Insect Hotels.

Alana worked with the community to build and install three separate insect hotels across Saskatoon; one in a private yard, one at the Varsity View Community Garden, and one at Aden Bowman’s joint school and community garden.

On August 26th, Alana met with members of the community garden to construct their insect hotel. People of all ages participated with volunteers ranging from a four year old to seniors. Together volunteers and members of the community garden built a beautiful structure, which a smaller group of volunteers was able to fill, seal, and mount the next morning.

On August 27th, Alana met with a group of students from Aden Bowman Collegiate to harvest and weed the raised garden beds and to install and fill the insect hotel. Everyone was energetically engaged, and the insect hotel was easily secured in a south facing location beside the raised garden beds. Two students agreed to be contacts for the Insect Hotels and to report on what types of insects take up residence and to monitor the longevity of the structure. After the Insect Hotel was installed some of the students talked about making insect hotels for themselves and as gifts for others.

The third insect hotel was built by Alana and her mom with materials remaining from the construction of the first Insect Hotels and donated materials. It was installed in her family’s front yard in the Varsity View neighbourhood, where it attracts the attention of passersbys who often stop to see or taste what is growing in the garden. Alana has expressed interest, capacity willing, to work with other interested groups in Saskatoon to build more Insect Hotels and continue to increase aquatic and insect biodiversity to improve her local watershed.

Pharmaceuticals in our Water

2014 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Maggie Reid from Greystone Heights School in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, proposed the idea of putting up posters at her local neighbourhood grocery stores and pharmacies to inform and educate Saskatonians on the proper way and appropriate locations to dispose of pharmaceutical products. In her proposal, Maggie made the connection that when you turn on the tap and fill your glass with water, that water may still have traces of medications and pharmaceuticals in it.
In Maggie’s research she found that although waste water treatment plants can remove many chemicals and foreign materials, active drug compounds are not eliminated and can collect in our rivers, lakes and ground water. When these chemicals collect in water bodies they have the potential to impact the fish, wildlife, and other organisms living within aquatic ecosystems. Expired or unused pharmaceuticals have certain chemical properties that may disrupt the proper function of hormone systems and can be attributed to causing fish to change sexes from male to female during sensitive stages of development. This has consequences for breeding and maintaining healthy fish populations in our rivers and lakes. Not to mention, we drink this water ourselves! This was a problem that Maggie felt strongly about.

She discovered that people still currently flush un-used medications or pharmaceuticals down the toilet in order to keep their children or pets from ingesting them. Maggie felt the solution to this problem was to raise awareness. If people knew that the South Saskatchewan River that they loved was becoming increasingly filled with chemicals from the improper disposal of pharmaceuticals, they would think twice the next time they went to flush their pills down the toilet! She discovered that there was an easy alternative available for the safe disposal of these items. All peopled needed to do was return expired and unused pharmaceuticals to their local pharmacy where there are policies to safely dispose of them. Maggie took action to implement her project and received permission to put up posters at Extra Foods’ pharmacies and the Coop pharmacies within her neighbourhood. The posters communicated information in a fun and simple way through graphics that Maggie drew by hand. The participating pharmacies were delighted to put up Maggie’s posters and were happy that she was taking the initiative to improve her watershed through the Caring for our Watersheds program!

Operation Hummingbird

2014 Forestburg, Alberta, Canada

Isaac Boddy entered the central Alberta CFW contest as a homeschooler and member of the Forestburg Golden Prairie 4H Club. his older sister Maven had been involved in the contest in 2013 so Isaac was ready and willing to take on the project, and see it through to its completion.

Isaac wanted to plant a variety of flowers that butterlies, moths and hummingbirds like with overlapping bloom periods creating a food source from spring lasting to fall. The garden would also provide a place for butterlies and moths to lay their eggs and will also be a beautiful garden for Forestburg residents to visit and enjoy.

Project partners include: the Forestburg Historical Society who donated the land for the garden. 4-H Canada provided $100 for seeds, and the local Golden Prairie 4-H club provided food for the planting day. Communities in Bloom also supported the project by having their summer student in Forestburg help water the garden. Local community members also supported Isaac by donating split rails and posts to make the garden.

A selection of native plants were planted in the garden including:

Black Eyed Susan
Butterfly weed
Corn Poppy
Blanket Flower
Lemon Mint
Partridge Pea
Purple Coneflower
Wild Bergamot

Isaac hopes that his project will have other positive effects on top of providing habitat and food for pollinators. By having his 4-H club involved he will be helping them connect to nature and understand the importance of pollinators while learning about plants and spending time outside. Forestburg community members will also benefit from the garden including the natural beauty and increased pollinators

Recovering What We Should Have Never Lost

2015, San Antonio de Areco, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The aim of this project was to afforest, with native species, the sidewalks of two bare blocks in the
town of Villa Lía. These two blocks were chosen because 52 new houses have been recently constructed in the area. The project has many benefits including the environmental benefits, and community participation in the implementation of this project.

To ensure the sustainability of this project, the students also had the idea of creating a commitment contract in which the neighbours commit to maintaining the species planted along the sidewalks.

The students were mentored by Gabriel Burgueño, a biodiversity specialist, who educated them and assisted in the selection of native trees.

A Raingarden for I-75 Runoff

2013 Arlington Heights, Ohio, USA
Rain Garden Run Off
A group of three students (Julia Love, Janae McClair and Sanoma Capps) who attend Arlington heights Academy submitted a proposal called “A Rain Garden for I-75 Runoff” to Nutrien’s Caring for our Watersheds contest during the first Ohio competition in 2011-2012. They came in first place!

After the final competition, they met with Wes Duran from Marvin’s Organic Gardens in the fall of 2012 to design and plan implementation of their rain garden. Students worked on determining the plant types, plant numbers and design layout. They also worked on the budget and set a date to start planting. Their budget was $2,00 with one half coming from Nutrien’s grant the students won and the other half a matching grant from Groundwork Cincinnati – Mill Creek, a local non-profit group dedicated to the restoration of the Mill Creek. The date they chose to plant the garden was March 21st, 2013.

Before the studetn’s knew it, it was March and time to plant. It didn’t take long to complete the project that they had been anxiously waiting for; to have their proposal become a reality. With the help of their classmates and the support from their community, the rain garden was completed!

This is a perfect example of how one idea can truly make a difference through hard work and determination. Though the work is done and students will graduate and move on, the teachers and community will continue to care for the rain garden. For instance, they will be responsible for watering the rain garden in the summer and make sure the plants are thriving. Any dead plants will be replaced to maintain the design and function of the garden.

We even have a video of our planting!

Centreville Rain Gardens

2013 Centreville, Virginia, USA

In the spring of 2013, a team of 15 sixth‐grade students at Centreville Elementary School took a close look at the playground area at the back of the school. Observing during a rainstorm, they noted soil, trash, and mulch washing into the storm drains that lead to Little Rocky Run. Working through the Caring for Our Watersheds Student Workbook, and relying on information from the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, they came up with a plan to build three strategically placed rain gardens and to keep the school community informed about why rain gardens matter.

Third place finishers in the 2013 Caring for Our Watersheds competition, the Centreville students built their rain gardens, edging them with handmade “bio‐logs” seeded with two grass and two wildflower species. They communicated their project on the school news, a presentation, and signage at the rain garden areas.

To cover costs of the project, they were able to leverage a $1,200 Fairfax County Public Schools Schoolyard Stewardship Mini‐Grant and received $630 in implementation funding from Nutrien

Riperian Restoration

2013 Forestburg, Alberta, Canada

The Golden Prairie 4-H club out of Forestburg has made a positive impact in the Battle River Watershed. Maven Boddy, a natural leader in the club, entered the Caring for our Watersheds contest with a proposal to improve riparian health that was both multi-faceted and forward thinking. Her plan to improve riparian areas involved planting hundreds of trees along the riverbank, but that wasn’t all. Her plan also incorporated educating the club and community on the importance of riparian areas and implementing a long-term health assessment on the project site.

Prior to tree planting, the club planned an educational canoe ride along the area of the river that would be restored with the seedlings. During the ride participants were taught about riparian areas and factors contributing to their declining health. This was also a great opportunity for a crash course in Alberta ecology, with a plethora of birds and other animals to see and hear.

On the tree planting day approximately 30 volunteers from the 4-H club gathered to plant over 200 seedlings. A variety of native trees and shrubs were chosen that would grow well in the Alberta climate. These trees will improve the strength of the riverbank with their roots and also provide wildlife with habitat for years to come. The project site will now be monitored in order to determine how the health of the area is improving. Maven invited local experts to carry out riparian health assessments and bird surveys, and a second round of assessments is planned for a few years down the road. Funding for the trees and health assessments came from a Victory Canola 4-H Grant as well as from Nutrien’s implementation funds.

Build and Install Owl Boxes on Local Farms

2013 Colusa, California, USA

After looking into environmental issues in their rural community, Ruby Dunham and Kyle Cervantes were concerned about the use of rodenticide to control rodent populations on farms. Because rodenticide takes a while to process through the system, rodents are slowly affected and are easy targets for predators, usually raptors. Thus rodenticide can cause secondary poisoning of raptor populations, a current threat to their survival.

Dunham and Cervantes wrote a proposal to build and install barn owl boxes on a local farm to both provide habitat and natural control of rodents. This would reduce or eliminate the need for rodenticide, decreasing the introduction of these chemicals into out watersheds and the birds and wildlife that inhabit them– a win-win situation for farmers and the environment.

Students worked with the school’s shop teacher and a local cabinet maker to build the boxes. Funding was provided by the local Morning Star Cannery, who helped to install the boxes at a grower’s ranch. Students built a total of 22 owl boxes for use at local farms and ranches. Barn owls, very efficient hunters (a family can consume over 3000 mice a year), have already begun to inhabit the boxes. This type of integrated pest management can serve as a model for other farms in the area.