An open, grassy area in Winnipeg’s St. Vital neighbourhood was once a landfill, but after 60 years a group of volunteers are taking the lead to find a different use for the area.
Over the weekend, volunteers spent time to transform the Marlene Street Park, starting with planting 1,000 trees.
The idea, some said, is to change the way places like this are viewed.
“I think that the fact that a landfill was here in the first place is emblematic of our attitude towards rivers at the time,” said Ryan Palmquist, managing director of Save our Seine.
“We see them literally as a dumping ground.”
He added that while garbage itself isn’t dumped in the former landfill, the existing grass doesn’t have much ecological value. Trees that are then planted would help to keep the ground healthy and soak up rainwater, preventing rainwater leeching — which causes toxic material from the landfill to contaminate the nearby river.
“We’ll dramatically reduce the amount of water that is leeching into the former landfill site and making its way into our freshwater,” Plamquist said.
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A project like this, turning the space into a viable forest, aims to ultimately bring in more wildlife. Through it, the intention is to assist in the area growing a diverse tree canopy in coming decades.
For those partaking, it’s also a great chance to learn about biodiversity — at least, according to Dr. Anju Bajaj.
“We need to teach them young. So when they come after 10-15 years or so, they can see the importance,” said Bajaj, a board member with Save our Seine.
“We’re hoping that, across the board, all forms of life that co-habitat here in the city and that live in our urban ecosystem… all of them will benefit from this project,” Plamquist said.
— with files from Global’s Katherine Dornian
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