Vision

Our inspiration for this project arose when over the past few years the outdoor spaces had degraded from being unmaintained to the point that they were ripped out and covered with grass seed. As a club, we have always wanted to put in some sort of garden at school so that students could have a space to take a nature break. Due to Covid, our plans were put to a halt until this year where we set out to complete a garden. During our chance to participate in envirothon, we researched many different native pollinator plants. This inspired the idea of not just a fruit and vegetable garden but a pollinator garden that would give back to native species of pollinators and would be around for years to come.
The town of Goderich is located along the migration path for the monarch butterfly and has chosen the Monarch as a theme for the community. We have a community playground and picnic area called Butterfly park with climbing apparatus themed around the Monarch and a huge butterfly mural for photos on our town square. Our town also has a reputation as the “Prettiest Town in Canada” and prides itself on its numerous gardens and trees. Our school however, is lacking in biodiversity on the property as former gardens have been replaced by lawn for easy maintenance. Because of this, we decided to plant a pollinator garden to diversify our ecosystem and support the pollinators, specifically the Monarch, to align with the town theme. The garden will not only provide the butterflies and other pollinators with a habitat but will also provide the community with a beautiful new area for students and the community to learn about native species and understand plant development.

Action

We have taken approximately 10 square meters of lawn found at the front of our school and converted it into a fully native pollinator garden. Our first step was to reach out to community mentors, including our community eco group, Green Goderich, a community garden group, a local horticultural consultant, the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, and the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority. These people guided us to select the best native plant species for the area where the garden would be located. After this, we went to purchase our plants. We bought many of them from a small plant sale by a community member who has cultivated her collection over many years in her backyard garden. After this we reached out to local grocery stores and other local suppliers who had partnered with the world wildlife federation to bring native species to their stores. Along the way we worked with the staff to find species that would be compatible and also spoke with teachers and community partners to optimize our selections. We also ordered soil and mulch from a local supplier.

Reflection & Celebration

We are so excited to have our garden completed. Many people have followed along on our school’s social media, even offering to water the garden. We are hoping to make more community connections this month to increase our outreach and get support for sustaining the garden. We also plan to use the garden as a learning space both for GDCI students and our local elementary feeder schools.

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