"Wow! So many people helping keep my Creek clean! You can help too - pick up litter, plant a tree or join Adopt-the-Creek!"
Hammond St. Tree Nursery
These trees and shrubs planted in rows are part of the nurseries of Nipissing Botanical Gardens. The nursery was started in 2006 when 6000 shrubs and 400 trees were planted here and at a second site further along the trail between First and Second Avenues with the support and partnership of the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority (NBMCA).
The nursery sites were developed with the help of generous grants from TD Friends of the Environment and the Evergreen Foundation on land made available by the NBMCA. The planting was done and maintained by two Heritage Gardener teams: the Outlanders and the Green Berets with support from other community groups and volunteers.
The trees and shrubs were planted to provide larger plants for the Community Waterfront Park and in the spring of 2010 volunteers began transferring 239 trees and 187 shrubs from the nurseries to the Park. The trees were staked and have been carefully pruned in subsequent years. The survival of the trees and shrubs from this nursery has been excellent with some of the silver maples now over 3 metres (12’) tall.
In 2011, volunteers dug in again transplanting another 62 trees and 59 shrubs to complete the boundary between the rail lines and the Community Waterfront Park. Another 600 shrubs were planted on the lakeside bank of the newly formed amphitheatre slope (visible from Memorial Drive). All of these plants were transplanted from the Hammond Street nursery.
Once more that year the community came together to restock this nursery site with 300 trees, mostly oaks and maples. Nipissing Botanical Gardens looks forward to more planting and growing opportunities in the future. Contact the Heritage Gardens at gardeners.heritagenorthbay.ca if you’d like to get involved.
Chippewa Creek EcoPath Partners
North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority
NBMCA is a non-profit environmental organization working to balance human needs with the needs of the natural environment on a watershed basis. NBMCA’s watershed management process is designed to enhance the environmental, social and economic well-being of the region through flood forecasting and water level monitoring, inspecting and permitting sewage systems, assessing development plans, protecting municipal drinking water sources, managing 16 conservation areas and trails as well as supporting environmental education and stewardship throughout the watershed.
www.nbmca.on.ca
City of North Bay
The City of North Bay's Parks, Recreation and Leisure Services Department, partners with other volunteer, public and private service providers, on projects like the Chippewa Creek EcoPath to create a healthy community and enhance the quality of life for the citizens. The City has over 100 parks, sport fields, beaches, marina and arena facilities. Environmental Services facilitates the integration of the City’s green initiatives, overseeing the City’s environmental programs.
www.cityofnorthbay.ca
North Bay Heritage Gardeners
The energy and enthusiasm of the Heritage Gardens volunteers have helped turn the North Bay Waterfront into a horticultural gem of more than 50 beds of shrubs, trees, perennials and grasses. In the spirit of community caring, sharing and learning, groups of five to 10 people teamed with a master gardener as their instructor, have enhanced the garden beds since 1996 while learning about horticulture and the environment.
www.gardeners.heritagenorthbay.ca
Nipissing Botanical Gardens
Nipissing Botanical Gardens exists to identify, preserve, and create green spaces, natural and cultivated, within the City of North Bay. This group has partnered with the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority, Nipissing University, Canadore College and other volunteers to develop the tree nursery. It’s their dream to turn North Bay into a park-like city, with a much expanded tree canopy.
www.gardeners.heritagenorthbay.ca/pagesmith/17
North Bay Indian Friendship Centre
The mission of the North Bay Indian Friendship Centre is to improve the quality of life for First Nation, Metis, and Inuit people in the urban environment of North Bay by supporting self-determined activities which encourage equal access and participation in society and which respects Aboriginal cultural distinctiveness. The Friendship Centre’s involvement in the Chippewa Creek EcoPath recognizes the connection between the First Nation’s heritage and the waters of the region.
www.nbifc.org
RBC Blue Water Project
Water is the lifeblood of our planet and lack of access to clean fresh water is one of the most significant humanitarian, environmental and economic issues facing the world today. The RBC Blue Water Project is a wide-ranging, multi-year program to help foster a culture of water stewardship, so that people have clean fresh water today and tomorrow. In 2010, RBC provided $80,000 to start the Chippewa Creek EcoPath project to help restore and revitalize the Creek with plantings and enhance its future through education and stewardship activities including information signage, a website and Adopt-the-Creek stewardship program.
bluewater.rbc.com
Greater Nipissing Stewardship Council (GNSC)
As part of their 2007-2010 Natural Habitats Project, GNSC volunteers planted more than 3,200 trees and shrubs along Chippewa Creek between Airport Rd. and Thomson Park (north of the EcoPath). Their key objectives were to improve the bank stabilization and water quality by fulfilling the Chippewa Creek Management Plan’s goal of a seven metre natural buffer along both sides of the Creek.
www.greaternipissing.ca
Nipissing Environmental Watch (NEW)
NEW has been advocating for the environment since the mid-1980s. During the 90s, they held tree giveaways, painted yellow fish on stormwater drains, encouraged the use of cloth grocery bags and cloth diapers, and advocated for more stringent monitoring of leachate at the Merrick Landfill Site. NEW members have been integrally involved from the start of the Tree Nursery and continue to help green up North Bay.
www.nipissingenvironmentalwatch.org
Greening Nipissing
Greening Nipissing (GN) is a charitable non-profit environmental organization dedicated to educating and encouraging community members to make changes to improve the quality of our environment. GN promotes innovative, community driven solutions, and practical ecological household solutions to make our community a greener place. In 2012, GN partnered with the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority for a World Water Day hike along the Chippewa Creek EcoPath.
www.greeningnipissing.org
Nipissing Area Scouts, Cubs and Beavers
In May 2012, 400 shrubs were planted along the banks of Chippewa Creek thanks to 60 beavers, cubs, and scouts as part of their Scoutrees initiative for the Chippewa Creek EcoPath. Funding for the shrubs was provided by RBC Blue Water Project and RBC staff volunteered to help at the event.
And to many others… Thank You!
Over the years individuals, schools, community groups, organizations and businesses have helped clean up or restore Chippewa Creek. THANK YOU! Add your name to the list of Chippewa Creek stewards or sign up to officially "Adopt the Creek"!
Email ecopath@nbmca.on.ca or call NBMCA at 705-474-5420