Mohawk students, staff and alumni dig in to support biodiversity at Confederation Park

Mohawk College President Rob MacIsaac plants a tree along the Lake Ontario shoreline at Confederation Park in Hamilton.

Last Saturday, 60 Mohawk College alumni, student and staff volunteers and their families turned out to plant 300 trees along a stretch of Lake Ontario shoreline at Confederation Park.

Mohawk College's Sustainability Office teamed up with the Mohawk College Alumni Association and Earth Day Hamilton-Burlington to organize the first-ever Planting Our Roots event. The volunteers were joined by Mohawk College President, Rob MacIsaac, Vice President Academic, Cheryl Jensen, and Mohawk College Foundation President, Wayne Joudrie for a morning of tree planting and a lesson in biodiversity and conservation. Other key partners in the project were the City of Hamilton and the Hamilton Conservation Authority.

Planting Our Roots is part of a multi-year program that will prevent expansion of invasive tree species and provide some competition and diversity for the local ecosystem. The 300 trees planted at Confederation Park will help anchor the soil, protect from further soil erosion and increase biodiversity, while providing enhanced habitat for migratory birds. Trees planted include Trembling Aspen, Large Tooth Aspen and Eastern Cottonwood. The three species will compete with the invasive Black Locust tree.

Earth Day Hamilton-Burlington provided lessons on tree planting while explaining the importance of the project and benefits to the diverse plant and animal species that live along the shoreline. Earth Day also coordinated an on-location waste program where nearly all lunch items were composted or recycled.

Mohawk thanks all of the volunteers for their participation at the first annual Planting Our Roots.