Volunteers and students from one Belleville School will be learning an important lesson about biodiversity and also legacy at a special event tomorrow.
A group from Park Dale Public school is hosting a community planting event at Cascade Park made possible through partnership with Quinte Conservation, the Quinte Field Naturalists, Tree Canada, the City of Belleville, and the LCBO’s Spirit of Sustainability Initiative.
The goal is to transform this urban green space in a Belleville neighborhood where access to nature and shade has been limited, by using a thoughtfully selected variety of native trees, fruit- and berry-producing shrubs, and wetland plants to spruce it up (no pun intended).
I love this idea for so many reasons.
First, we all learn better by doing than by reading or just listening.
Secondly, community involvement and improvement is always a worth goal, no matter your age or means.
Finally, making a commitment to beautifying our natural areas in new and lasting ways produces benefits that can literally last a lifetime.
If we are lucky, these students can see the results of their handiwork enrich multiple generations of people who rest under their branches, which I think deserves a big “A” in activism for all involved.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
(PAUL MARTIN)


