|
By Janice Sawka
The Lance
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Members of the Save Our Seine picked up shovels and work
gloves last weekend and continued their efforts to clean up a
four-acre area of land bordering the Seine River at the end of
Beliveau Road and Marlene Street.
The project is called, appropriately enough, Field of Dreams.
"It's the second year of the project, and funding has been acquired
for one more year," said SOS vice-president Dave Watson. "We do
annual clean-ups and replantings around all areas of the Seine
River, and it's unprecedented that we return to the same spot
consecutively. But we have a huge community involvement, which
validates this as a worthwhile and emotional task." Field of Dreams
began in 2001 when the Marlene St. tenant's Association approached
SOS with a desire to restore the land in question. It had been
a garbage dump until the 1950's, then capped with clay and used
as a snow dump, which included dirty snow, road salt and gravel.
As a result, those products were leaching into the river, and
nothing would grow on the land but weeds and grass. The city would
mow the grass once per year, and that was it. The tenants wanted
to see a useable park, with a walking path along the river, at
the least. Save Our Seine members saw an opportunity to benefit
multiple parties.
"SOS is task-orientated. Or main goal is to save a forgotten,
unfairly abused little river," Watson said. "If we could reclaim
the land, it would become a resource of the community and, in
turn, people tend to look after property, which they consider
is theirs. "When we work in partnership with other groups, we
help them fulfill any mandate in their mission statements towards
doing environmental work. And by working with children and youth,
we show them they can make a difference, and we show everyone
the tangible, concrete results and benefits of cleaning up the
environment. This project will eventually turn a dump into a park.
It's a perfect example.
The group works in the riparian zone-the land on either side
of a riverbank leading to the water. Garbage is cleared away-everything
from plastic pop bottles to an assortment of larger debris, including
old furniture, mattress springs and rusting car bodies. Trees
and plants native to the area, such as Manitoba Maple and fruit
bearing bushes for birds, are planted. A "weed blanket"-plastic-like
sheeting is placed around the young saplings, to hamper the weeds
that may otherwise choke them put.
The entire "greening" is based on a philosophy a river is not
merely a body of water in a trench, but a whole ecosystem. Roots
from established trees stabilize the riverbank and help prevent
soil breakup, while the shade provided helps keep the water temperature
cooler under the summer sun, which in turn is beneficial for any
fish. Trees self-propagate. A strong, established natural area
will gradually need less and less human assistance beyond garbage
pickup. SOS president and fundraising chair Bev Sawchuk lives
along the Seine River and considers its entire course as a treasure.
"It's so special," she said. "At an some points you can barely
tell you're in the city, and the point at Beliveau Road is probably
the most pristine part of the 80-km stretch. We're trying to save
as much of it as we can."
Last weekend, a group of about 75 people from SOS were joined
in their greening and cleanup effort by their Urban Green Team,
whose members this year came from Teen Stop Jeunesse, as well
as members of the Katimavik program and Scouts Canada.
Al Mackling, former MLA and current president of the Winnipeg
Game and Fish Association presented SOS with a cheque for $1,000
to support the work being done. "Today," Watson summed up, "was
a very good day."
Back
to
In
the
Media
Back
to
Main
|
