Nature Walk : Sunday May 28th from 1-4 pm with Friends of Napanee River
Walkabout at Nancy Cole’s 60 acre property at 1199 Bethel Road in Yarker. It features 3 kms of trails and 3 distinct, adjacent eco-systems – alvar plain, managed woodlot and provincially significant wetland bordering Varty Lake.
Please direct any questions or reply to the following email address if you would like to join one of the two tours – either 1:30 or 2:30 pm.
Contact: info@
Alvar and Karst areas may look a bit barren; “oh, it’s just a lot of old rock…” However, they are both fascinating environments with far more biodiversity than meets the eye. Read our article.
Watch our very informative video at https://youtu.be/MesZ5Qc-R4c
On March 21, 2023 the Stewardship Council hosted the No-Till Vegetable Gardening workshop at Newburgh Community Hall.
See the presentation slides here. No-Till Gardening Slide Presentation Mar 21, 2023
Science of No-Till Slide Presentation
Justin Schaude and Molly Touzel of Red School Farmstead along with Andrew Michalski of St. Isidore Farm presented this down-to-earth workshop.
Tilling the soil actually results in soil compaction; it disrupts the complex symbiotic relationship that exists between the surface of the soil and the underlying micro-organisms.
“No till” doesn’t mean “No work.” Regular top dressing of an established bed with mulch and compost in layers will enrich the soil matrix and build in resilience without the need of additional fertilizers. Compost and mulch become the gardener’s new allies.
The many advantages of the “no-till” method include saving water, reducing and possibly eliminating the need to weed, retaining carbon in the soil, reducing soil erosion and building up the earthworm population in your garden. All are great reasons to Cherish your Dirt!
For more information: redschoolfarmstead@gmail.com Or stisidorefarm.net@gmail.com
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Adele Crowder takes us through Lucy Stover Davison’s year with details gleaned from daily records she kept in exercise books. Meet a farm family from Chipmunk Ridge, with a focus on their animals, harvests, family and social world.
Fred Brown’s photographs of the immediate district of Odessa and its people in the first decade of the century illustrate Adele’s talk. Maps, contemporary video and open-source photographs bring the daily life of a farming family into sharp focus.
TREES
If you wish to plant trees (minimum of 500) you can apply to Forests Ontario’s 50 Million Tree Program – https://www.forestsontario.ca/
Each Spring, Quinte Conservation http://quinteconservation.ca, Cataraqui Conservation https://crca.ca/, and some municipalities offer tree seedlings.
If you have watercourses on your property that are not naturalized, try Natural Edge to plant along the watercourse – https://naturaledge.watersheds.ca/
For more info on TREES, see our entry called “Tree Planting Programs” under Stewardship News
Plant Native Species
We really encourage property owners to plant Ontario native species when planting in their yards. They support local wildlife and hopefully slow the spread of new invasive species in our environment. See these two guides to selecting species for your backyard and gardens.
file:///C:/Users/Susan/Downloads/Prairie-and-meadow-Plants-CVC.pdf
http://quinteconservation.ca/site/images/stories/programs/landowner/docs/gardening.pdf
Nesting Boxes
Quinte Conservation has some nesting boxes available for landowners from their Belleville office – see plans below. If you want any, contact Maya to arrange to pick up. MNavrot@quinteconservation.ca
Mallard HEN Houses
https://deltawaterfowl.org/hen-houses/
Wood Duck Boxes
https://www.ducks.ca/assets/2016/01/duckbox.pdf
Osprey Nesting Platform
http://quinteconservation.ca/site/images/stories/programs/landowner/docs/osprey_platform.pdf
Bluebird Nesting Boxes and Bat Box Plans are currently out of stock.