NEWMARKET – On Sunday, July 11, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., the public is invited to a native plant rescue at the woodlot on Doane Road (in East Gwillimbury) between Leslie and Woodbine Ave. The purpose is to rescue woodland plants from one of the woodlots slated to be cut to make way for the extension of Highway 404.

On hand to help the public will be members of the Maskinonge River Recovery Project, the North American Native Plant Society and staff from the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA).

Members of the public are asked to wear long pants and close-toed shoes. Once there, they will be given pots and shovels, as well as information about plant salvaging and avoiding poison ivy, then sent out to rescue whatever plants they can. The rescued plants can be given to the LSRCA to be used in restoration projects, or the public is welcome to take them home should they have a suitably shady spot to replant them.

The Maskinonge River Recovery Project is one of several initiatives funded primarily by the federal Lake Simcoe Clean Up Fund. This project has several partners and is administered through the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA).

This public event will continue the efforts of the LSRCA to rescue as many woodland plants as possible from the six woodlots slated for removal between Green Lane and Queensville Sideroad. The plants are being dug up and potted and are being held at a nursery until several suitable relocation sites are confirmed. Many of the plants will be used on an ecological restoration project with the Chippewa of Georgina Island.

For more information on this project, please contact:
Andee Pelan, Project Coordinator, Maskinonge River Recovery Project (MRRP)
Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA)
a.pelan@lsrca.on.ca
905-895-1281 ext. 244 Cell: 905-955-6184