We would
like to thank you for all of your support in 2018! With your help, we were able
to work on many projects last year, such as launching our Naturalist programs
and building our display area. We also received much support during our
Wednesday Workdays. Let us all work together, new members and old, and make
2019 an extraordinary year for Friends of Petrie Island!
Petrie
Island is officially open after much reconstruction courtesy of the City of
Ottawa. As you may know, this year the flooding at Petrie Island was the
longest to recede even compared to 2017. It delayed our reopening for a couple
of months. The water was almost a meter above the ground, and the water line
can be seen among the trees and buildings in the area. In the meantime, we were
working out of Queenswood Heights Community Centre getting things ready for our
grand return. Of course, when we were able to safely enter the Island, there
was much work to be done. Displays were faded and covered with mud, the tool
shed and craft shed were still flooded inside, and almost all of our benches
were displaced or lost. With the help of our staff on Wednesday Workdays, much
of our benches and our displays were recovered. At the moment, most things are
done and we are able to operate our programs; however, there is still more to
do. Our staff is still hard at work getting things back to the way they were.
We are rebuilding our lost display area and doing our best to clean up our
picnic area. Luckily, we do have our picnic rentals up and running and our
container and office have been delivered. Overall, we are excited to say that
the Nature Center is open and we have staff on duty daily. Feel free to ask
them about our programs and memberships for the summer!
In terms
of programs and events, we recently held our annual Turtle Day on June 23,
2019. It was a great turnout! We had the Canadian Wildlife Federation come in
and do a presentation on turtles in Ontario, and we had various games and
activities for kids. Moreover, our Children’s Naturalist Program officially
started on July 2, 2019. This year we have preschool (ages 2-5), junior (ages
6-8), and youth (ages 9-12) naturalist groups. Preschool and junior being every
Tuesday and Thursday, and youth every Wednesday and Thursday. Our themes
this week were turtles and fossils. Both the younger and older groups have a
variation in teaching and activities by increasing or decreasing the complexity
of the subject. For example, the youth group focused on turtle nesting on
Petrie Island; whereas our junior groups focused on the identification of
turtles on Petrie Island. Finally, the Plant Group has returned! They will have
their sessions on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM.
The
trails around Petrie Island are starting to dry. Bill Holland and the Turtle
trail are not flooded; yet, the Basswood, Muskrat, and Sunrise trails are still
partially flooded. Given the warm weather ahead, the trails should clear soon!
Our staff has been going down the Bill Holland trail everyday to look for signs
of turtle activity. We have recovered six nests consisting of snapping,
painted, and map turtle eggs which are protected on our Turtle Trail.
Last, but not least, we do
have new additions to our student summer staff! Teyana, Laura, and Atirah are
our new Park Monitors this summer! Emma and Émie are returning for their second
year as the Children’s Program Manager, and Coordinator of Staff, Volunteers,
and Memberships respectively. Let us all wish our team good luck for the
summer!
We do hope 2019 will be a
great year for Friends of Petrie Island! There will be many new projects to
work on, such as, a new turtle pond, programs, and more species conservation
efforts. Without your help, none of this would have been possible. This is why
we give our utmost thanks for your support. Let us help preserve Friends of
Petrie Island for many generations to come!