Peterborough Green-Up

Program Areas and Funding

(this will focus solely on Green-Up’s greenspace programs)

Measuring Success

• Ecology Park – 5 acre demo site on City parkland since 1993 to showcase ecological landscaping; display gardens, restoration projects, compost demo site, plant nursery, garden market, elementary school programs, adult workshops, volunteer opportunities, factsheets with a local focus, advisory services, leadership in natural pest control and biodiversity
• funding from City of Peterborough, Peterborough Utilities, local donations, sales of plants and garden supplies, fees for programs, foundations

0ver 25,000 visitors each year; 2,000 local school children participate in programs annually; great demand for native plants; called “Peterborough’s crown jewel” by Communities in Bloom judges; locally-grown native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants planted in regional gardens and restoration projects

“Our Urban Forest Program” – in third year of three year funding from the Ontario Trillium foundation with the following components:

See below

• Neighbourhood Tree Inventories – five neighbourhoods inventoried to date, using “Neighbourwoods” program

City has changed species selected for roadside planting as a result of the inventory; data collected for 4,000 trees; over 100 volunteers

• Public Education Campaign – presentations, newspaper articles, factsheets, TV clips, puppet show, workshops, guest speakers

53 workshops and presentations in first two years, involving  1,500 people; two factsheets; 17 newspaper articles

• School Program – half day programs for grade four (habitat unit) and grade six (biodiversity unit) in Peterborough City schools; schoolyard survey, letters to public officials, radio programs prepared

39 elementary classes visited in two winters; 991 students participated

• Tree Planting Programs – based on inventory results, urban-hardy native trees planted in inventoried neighbourhoods with volunteer assistance

• Treasured Tree Hunt – tree contest to raise public awareness of trees and find potential candidates for heritage tree status - more

• Update of Peterborough’s Urban Forest Strategic Plan – spearheaded by the City, with 24 local stakeholders holding monthly meetings for 18 months to review and update the UFSP - more

130, 6-8’ trees planted in first season; provided by Ecology Park tree nursery

164 entries in first year of program; mayor and local officials participated in an “Awards Gala” with 150 guests

Plan is nearing completion; is slated for presentation to Council during winter of 2010