Landcare
Fast Facts
Objective: To actively engage local people in the practical preservation and restoration of the natural ecological habitat along the urban Seine River
Location: The entire urban Seine River Greenway
The SOS Landcare initiative focuses on volunteer-driven ecological restoration throughout the Seine River greenway. Our work consists of controlling invasive plants, planting native species, and removing garbage.
The beginnings of SOS Landcare date back to 2015 when Wilma Sotas, who was an SOS Board Director at the time, had a vision for a “wildflower greenway” spanning between Shorehill Drive and Creek Bend Road. This area includes swathes of natural meadows and grasslands, which easily become overrun by invasive introduced plants such as Canada thistle, leafy spurge, and burdock. These invasive plants have the capacity to outcompete other plants and completely take over large areas. This severely reduces the biodiversity, and therefore the health, of the ecosystem.
In 2018, Landcare was formalized as an SOS committee, headed by Wilma Sotas and Fenella Temmerman. The committee began engaging more with local people to get involved and to increase awareness of the need to care for our shared land.
Since 2022, the Landcare initiative has been rolled into the newly-created Restoration & Enhancement committee and has expanded its focus to also include forest health. Most notably, the Restoration & Enhancement committee coordinated a pilot project that included the removal of European buckthorn from the greenway.
Regular Landcare Events are held throughout the warmer months. All are welcome!
Apply as a volunteer if you are interested in lending a hand.