Municipal and conservation officials are getting an in-depth look at how a $1 million Ridge Landfill Community Trust initiative has restored a habitat near North Buxton and improved the overall environment in Chatham-Kent.
A partnership between the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) started in November 2019, after a donation was made by Ridge Landfill Community Trust, facilitated by Waste Connections of Canada. The initiative aims to increase natural tree cover in South Kent and create wetland and grassland habitats.
So far this year, nearly 20,000 trees have been planted on more than 33 acres of land. According to a statement from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, seven wetlands and 14 prairies have been created, amounting to more than 84 acres of habitat restored.
Members of the LTVCA, along with Councillor Anthony Ceccacci and Mayor Darrin Canniff, were able to tour a 2.5-acre project on Tuesday to show some of the positive effects resulting from the initiative.
The property toured near North Buxton is owned by Violet Shadd. She said with help from Trees Ontario, she planted over 2,000 Carolinian trees in 2009. However, when some trees in the middle of the woodlot started to die, she sought help from the LTVCA.
“I had Randall [Van Wagner] come out and look at the area, and that is when he suggested that I could have a couple of ponds dug in the area,” she said in a statement. “I am so very grateful to him, for the suggestion, and to those who made it possible for me to have these ponds dug. Already I have seen such a diversity of wildlife that they have brought in."
Canniff said the tour of Shadd's property shows how the Ridge Landfill Community Trust initiative benefits the environment.
"Planting more trees can help us combat the effects of climate change, protect endangered species, and restore wetlands," he said in a statement. "The effects of projects such as this can magnify and multiply across our community."
Considering Ridge Landfill Community Trust has funded several educational and charitable projects within Chatham-Kent, the CAO of the LTVCA said he's confident more can be done for the environment if more businesses and organizations get involved.
“Through our partnerships with Ducks Unlimited Canada, Forests Ontario, and the Wetland Habitat Fund, I am confident that we can leverage more dollars and turn this one million into much more for our region,” said Mark Peacock.
Chatham-Kent's natural tree cover currently sits at less than six per cent. As stated by the municipality, only four per cent of Chatham-Kent has forest cover in woodlands greater than two hectares, and two per cent has forest cover in smaller woodlands or other habitats such as wetlands and grasslands.
