Tree Canada is coordinating a series of free events across the country to promote the planting and nurturing of trees in Canada’s urban and rural areas as part of National Forest Week.
The mandate of the non-profit charitable organization is to increase canopy cover in communities and grow forests across Canada, multiplying the benefits of trees and mitigating climate change impact along the way. An event with this goal in mind is scheduled for a National Forest Week celebration on Saturday at Butler Park in Sooke. The restoration efforts will enhance the forest edge trees and shrubs at Butler Park, which served as a heavy truck logging road for nearly 100 years.
Sooke shop Cafe Vosino is providing a snack and beverage for those who take part in the event, which gets underway at 10 a.m. and is expected to be over by noon. Volunteers will meet at Butler Park near the corner of Butler Road and Otter Point Road and participate in planting, watering, and mulching trees and shrubs, and removal of invasive species. Gloves and shovels will be provided. Parking is available on the street and at nearby Fred Simmons Park.
The event will proceed rain or shine, unless the forecast calls for thunderstorms or very heavy rainfall. For more information, visit https://shorturl.at/1McwC.
South Island Powwow at Royal Athletic Park
Royal Athletic Park will be home Monday to the third annual South Island Powwow, a daylong event organized by the Songhees Nation to celebrate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The free event gets underway at noon, with doors to the site scheduled to open at 10 a.m. The event is an opportunity through song, dance, and traditional Indigenous culture to recognize survivors and their families in the spirit of reconciliation. Drum groups will perform in competition for a variety of cash prizes, including payouts of up to $5,000. Thousands of spectators are expected to attend.
Royal Athletic Park is located at 1014 Caledonia Ave. For event information, visit www.songheesnation.ca/south-island-powwow.
