The 2013 Eco-Film Festival is here!

Popular Film Festival Returns: Don't Miss Out !

BurlingtonGreen in partnership with the Burlington Central Library is pleased to present the 2013 Eco-Film festival.

Watch ~ Learn & Take action provides a valuable opportunity for audiences to learn about global environmental issues by watching award winning documentaries and then sharing ideas on how the issues can be addressed locally.

Each event will include a film presentation, complimentary refreshments, a free  eco –prize raffle and engaging audience discussion on how global issues can be tackled locally.

• All films are shown at Central Library (2331 New Street, Burlington).

Thank you to those who attended the presentation of the  Academy award winning film" The Cove" on May 9, 2013.

Inspired to take action?

Click here to learn ideas and opportunities for you to speak up and take action.

 Our next film presentation will be "GROW" on June 5.

You can download the "GROW" event poster here

Check out the trailer & we hope yo see you on June 5th!

CHECK OUT  OUR AMAZING LINE-UP OF FILMS FOR 2013 BELOW...

To see the 2013 Eco-Film Festival poster in PDF, click here.

2013 Go Local Food Network Events!

The BurlingtonGreen Go Local Food Network is hosting another terrific series of events in 2013 thanks to all our great program supporters (check out their logos further below).

Mark the dates ~ participate ~ learn more about why local food matters ! You can download the 2013 events listing here.

Check them out below......

Successful Vegetable Gardening for Families

Thursday May 16, 7:00 pm, Centennial Hall, Central Library

Featuring Nancy Lee-Colibaba of the Royal Botanical Gardens

Help your family grow fresh veggies with ease and success.

Share a love of outdoor activity, fresh food, and dirty hands. FREE EVENT!

CLICK HERE to RSVP for the event and enter to win!

BurlingtonGreen's Eco Film Festival presents "GROW"

Wednesday June 5, 6:30 pm doors open, Centennial Hall, Central Library

“Anybody who appreciates the value of good, wholesome food grown close to home, who cares about our food supply and the future of farming will want to see GROW!”

7:00 pm screening followed by interactive audience discussion. Learn more about BurlingtonGreen's Eco-Film Festival here.

Tour Central Park Community & Victory Gardens

Sunday, June 23, 12 – 4:00 pm, Community Garden, behind Central Arena  

Learn about community gardens; demonstrative features; discover what fresh food Victory garden volunteers grow and donate to local food banks. Food donations welcome. FREE EVENT! To learn more about the Central Park Community Garden, please click here.

BurlingtonGreen Go Local Food Swap in partnership with Halton Food Swap

Tuesday September 10, 7:00 pm, Centennial Hall, Central Library 

If you grow, cook, bake, preserve and love to share your recipes and explore new ones a food swap is for you. FREE EVENT!

Information about 2013 events arlready held is further below.

Go Local Food Network 2013 Events already held include.....

Thank you Clean Up Green Up Participants!

Wow - a record number of more than 13,500 people signed up for this year's Community Clean Up Green Up event. That is 5,000 more than last year dedicated to clean up our beautiful City!

 We are proud of Burlingtonians!  Mountains of bags of garbage, recyclables, tires and other bulk items have been retrieved from our parks, school grounds, ravines, creeks and neighbourhoods. Thank you to everyone who participated all week long especially on the cold (and snowy) Saturday morning. Once we tally the amount of waste, bulk items and recyclable material collected from throughout the City, we will post the information here on our website.

Photo: Residents by the Hydro Corridor

Lots and lots of native plants, shrubs and trees have been planted at Beachway Park thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers who braved the cold winds and even hail to get the job done. BurlingtonGreen is extremely grateful to all the volunteers as well as our project partners: Conservation Halton and the City of Burlington who collaborated to achieve this success with a grant provided by the Province of Ontario’s Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund.

Photo: Beachway Park Green Up Team

We are very grateful to this year’s event sponsors who helped to make this big city wide event possible. Thank you to our hospitality sponsors, Tim Hortons and Turtle Jack’s and our media sponsors, TV Cogeco and the Burlington Post. Please check out our event page to discover other generous sponsors, our 6 supply pick up depots and the very long list of citizens, groups, businesses and schools that  participated in this event.

Photo: A Tim Horton's prize winner!

Check out our Green Wall of Fame  that includes various photos sent to us from groups "in action" cleaning and greening up the City. You can also see the winners of our Tim Horton's Clean Up Challenge!

You can learn more about the Community Clean Up Green Up Event details, event sponsors, supply depots and participants  by clicking HERE.

Helping Local Habitat !

If you are interested in volunteering for action projects to help the planet, BurlingtonGreen strives to serve as a one stop shop linking volunteers to local opportunities with other organizations to support their valuable habitat stewardship work. Stay connected to Habitat Stewardship available in your community through our BurlingtonGreen Facebook Page, Twitter Account, Events Calendar, Helping Habitat Webpage or sign up to get e-news here.

Throughout 2012 BurlingtonGreen participated in nineteen habitat stewardship volunteer events including:

-      5 marsh planting events with the Bay Area Restoration Council (BARC);

-      4 native species plantings and/or invasive plant species removal events with the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG);

-      Our own LaSalle Park planting & invasive species removal project as part of Community Clean Up Green Up (funded by Evergreen Canada);

-    A General Brock Park Clean Up & invasive plant removal funded by Evergreen/Molsons “Red Leaf” project;

-    And 8 native species plantings and/or stream restoration events with Trout Unlimited (TU).

Bay Area Restoration Council: After the introduction of Asian Carp into Coote’s Paradise, over 90% of the vegetation in the marsh was destroyed. Each year the BARC hosts at least five Marsh Planting events in partnership with the RBG (Royal Botanical Gardens) in an effort to restore Coote’s Paradise to its former beauty.

Out of all the volunteer opportunities each year the summer marsh plantings are one of the most fun! At many of the events you are able to wear hip-waders, travel out to different areas of Coote's Paradise (sometimes by boat) and build new shorelines out of cattails as well as filling in marshy areas with native trees and shrubs. Our volunteers loved them so much they contributed almost 50 hours of their time to the restoration efforts of Coote's Paradise.

The Royal Botanical Gardens: The RBG manages over 2700 acres of land, and each year hosts a variety of native species plantings and invasive species removal events. This year we participated in four events with the RBG, contributing over 120 volunteer hours helping restore the Long Valley and Spencer Creek Floodplains. Due to our combined efforts, we managed to plant over a thousand wild grasses and flowers, over 500 native species trees and shrubs and removed a significant amount of Invasive Species such as Common Buckthorn and Amur Honeysuckle bushes, Common Privet, Japanese Barberry, and Norway Maple.

        Trout Unlimited: 2012 marked the first year we began working with Trout Unlimited on their Bronte Creek Restoration Project. The work-events consisted of stream restoration (building wing-deflectors, removing human-made dams, clearing out litter/log jams, etc.) and native species plantings along the shoreline of Bronte Creek.

Throughout 2012, we have participated in eight events contributing almost 130 volunteer hours to TU`s restoration efforts. We assisted with the planting of over 3000 native trees and shrubs as well as the work done inside the stream itself. More information about the restoration work as well as some event photos available on their blog here.

Clean Up Green Up Community Planting: On April 20th BurlingtonGreen hosted a Native Species Tree Planting at LaSalle Park as part of our 2012 Community Clean Up Green Up annual event. We had an incredible turn-out with approximately 70 volunteers in attendance and managed to plant just over 350 trees and shrubs. After the planting had been completed we also removed approximately 20-30 full bags of Garlic Mustard 

Our volunteers participated for an average of three hours bringing our total to approximate 210 volunteer hours contributed by BG volunteers to the LaSalle Park Green Up Planting Project.

Molson Red Leaf/Evergreen Canada General Brock Park project:

On August 26, a stewardship event took place at General Brock Park funded by the Molson Red Leaf/Evergreen program. We were joined by 67 volunteers to remove 16 bags of invasive garlic mustard, 4 bags of garbage, 2 bags of recyclables and huge piles of metal fencing, wood and a mountain of brush.

We would not have been able to have had such a productive year if it was not for the help and support of dozens of volunteers, who donated their time and energy. Throughout 2012 we were able to contribute over 500 volunteer hours helping support both our own restoration projects, and the important work spearheaded by various partners.

Be sure to check out our 2012 restoration photo album on our Facebook page here, and feel free to email me, Kale Black (youth@burlingtongreen.org) if you are interested in volunteer opportunities in 2013.

Meet Burlington'sTrumpeter Swans Feb 17 !

Trumpeter Swans were extirpated in Ontario with the last recorded Trumpeter Swan being shot at Long Point in 1886. A restoration effort began in 1982 bringing the population back to approximately 800 to1000 swans.

Approximately 25% of the provincial flock has chosen LaSalle Park in Burlington as their wintering habitat.

• Swans require open water to feed, bathe and rest, they also require minimum radius of 100 meters for take-offs and landings.

• LaSalle Park Marina is currently working on a plan to expand the marina to 340 permanent boat slips with a fixed wave break in their current wintering habitat. The negative impact could be devastating to this fragile population. The development could reduce their feeding and wintering site, resulting in overcrowding and increasing the potential for disease.

What Can You Do? Take Action!

• Meet the swans on February 17, 2013 ,2:00 pm LaSalle Park, Burlington (at the beach down at the Marina boat launch ramp) Beverly Kingdon from the Ontario Trumpeter Swan Restoration Group will provide a presentation about her remarkable work here in Burlington to care for the rare & beautiful Trumpeter Swans.
  
  

• Contact Burlington's  Mayor & City Councillors to share your viewpoint

• Encourage your friends, family & others in your neighbourhood to become involved to speak up on this issue.

• You can learn more about this important issue below and you can add your viewpoint in the comments section at the bottom of this article. You can meet Beverly again at our March 20 Eco-Film Festival - learn more here.

The following letter was sent to area media outlets regarding this issue:

December 12, 2012

It is not too often the decisions made at City Hall can have a life or death consequence on a species. The proposed expansion of the LaSalle Park Marina may very well put the fragile Trumpeter Swan population that inhabits the area at risk.

The Trumpeter Swans have chosen LaSalle Park as the ideal nesting area to live. We understand that what has been proposed for the marina development will make it impossible for the swans to over-winter there with assurance of their survival. With so few numbers (200 or 25% of the North American population), any change to their balanced ecosystem may have devastating results for this rare species.

For BurlingtonGreen, this is a case of a fundamental right to live for a species versus a nice to have marina expansion. Since the swans are not able to speak for themselves it is our responsibility to work to protect them. We understand the proposed project is “under a High Level Environmental Assessment” according to The LaSalle Park Marina Association President John Birch. However we have concerns about the integrity of such an assessment when the swans are so few in numbers and there are no apparent locations that replicate their habitat at Lasalle Park.

It has taken 30 years of dedicated work by a handful of volunteers to achieve a self-sustaining population of 1,000 Trumpeter Swans in the Province. To have the 200 swans who have selected LaSalle Park as their ideal winter home put in jeopardy, for the benefit of boaters who could avail themselves of many other marina options, doesn't sit well with Beverly Kingdon from the Ontario Trumpeter Swan Restoration Group and it doesn’t sit well with us either.

The town of Monticello, Minnesota actually celebrates and cherishes the swan population that inhabits their shores. Burlington could showcase to the world how volunteers have managed to rescue a species from extinction. Not many cities can state that. This would help preserve Canada’s biodiversity right here at home.

Let’s work together to preserve and enjoy the Trumpeter Swans of Lasalle Park. Please contact Burlington’s Mayor & Councillors to let them know you want the Trumpeter Swans in Burlington protected and we invite you to share your thoughts at www.burlingtongreen.org too.(below)

BurlingtonGreen Environmental Association ~ citizens for a greener community

From: The Ontario Trumpeter Swan Restoration Group

November 29 2012

One quarter of Ontario's rare Trumpeter Swans are being threatened by a proposed marina expansion at LaSalle Park in Burlington, Ontario.

Trumpeter swans were hunted out of existence in the Province with the last one being shot at Long Point in 1886. Almost 100 years later, in 1982, they were reintroduced in the Province by retired Ministry of Natural Resources Biologist Harry Lumsden who gathered a dedicated team of volunteers to raise Trumpeter Swan cygnets from eggs flown in from B.C. and Alaska.

"It would be a tragedy if these majestic birds were to disappear again," says Beverly Kingdon, a volunteer with the Ontario Trumpeter Swan Restoration Group (OTSRG) who has been tagging and collecting data on the swans, who overwinter at LaSalle Park, since 1993.

She notes that it has taken 30 years of dedicated work by a handful of volunteers to achieve a self-sustaining population of 1,000 Trumpeter Swans in the Province. To have the 200 plus swans who have selected LaSalle Park as their ideal winter home put in jeopardy, for the benefit of boaters who could avail themselves of many other marina options, doesn't sit well with her.

"What has been proposed will make it impossible for the swans to over-winter there," she says and with so much development around the lake, there are few other options for them.

"The most serious threat to our fragile population of Trumpeter Swans in this Province is the loss of wintering habitat to expanding human populations," notes Kingdon. Urban expansion, rural residential development and recreation often preferentially occur in and adjacent to environments preferred by swans; namely large, clean, calm and productive water bodies. The LaSalle Marina project is a perfect example how habitat loss can impact a threatened species.

Development plans that concern the OTSRG include:

Construction Schedule —Trumpeter swans arrive in LaSalle in late October/earlyNovember and leave in March. Currently, construction has been scheduled for September to December.

A wavebreak — Without the movement of waves the water in LaSalle harbour will freeze, making it impossible for the swans to feed. Mechanical aerators have been proposed to keep the water open but they have a history of failure.

A permanent wavebreak and longer dock — this will confine the swans in a smaller area and not allow them the space they need to land and take-off. Trumpeter swans require a large open radius of 100 meters for running take-offs and landings as they are a 747-sizedbird with an 8-foot wing span. As well, the undisturbed open water area must be adequate to allow the swans to feed, rest and bathe during the day and have night resting space. As the largest swan in the world they do not huddle like ducks and have personal, territorial space needs.

Any change to water level — Trumpeter Swans tip their heads to gather food, they arenot divers so they need open shallow water of a feeding depth no deeper that 3 ½ feet. 

Including berths for personal watercraft — the use of seadoos and the like is not compatible with swans. These noisy machines will cause more disturbance than the swans can bear, plus PWC riders are active for a much longer season than sailboaters,riding in October and November and March and April when the swans are still in the area.

 Increased traffic on the beach area — The swans also require sufficient day time land resting area and currently use the entire beach area adjacent to the boardwalk.

The OTSRG has brought their concerns to the attention of Burlington's Council, City staff, the consultants for the marina project and the Burlington Waterfront Committee but so far, they have not seen any substantive changes to the plan that would protect this critical Trumpeter Swan habitat.

The loss of this flock would also be a great loss to research into Trumpeter Swans. "Theconcentration of winter swans at LaSalle Park is not available anywhere else in Canada," says Kingdon.

The information collected by OTSRG over the past 30 years, including data on their movements, productivity and survival totalling more than 50,000 records that is housed in a database at the University of Guelph, has provided invaluable information for scientists.

Kingdon says the Trumpeter Swans have also become a popular attraction on the Burlington lakefront for citizens with many people visiting the area just to enjoy the sight of these majestic birds.

"I think if the public understood what a significant threat this marina project is to the swans, they would protest, but most people I've talked to don't even know about it," says Kingdon.

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