Marysville Eco Park Volunteer Evening on Wednesday

The Marysville Eco Park site has come a long way since its days as a weedy parking lot. It’s now an attractive little park bursting with an array of native plants, a unique sculpture celebrating the return of Westslope cutthroat trout to the creek and hand-hewn, rustic picnic tables. Last year the College of the Rockies Natural Building program class added a timber frame and straw bale garden shed to the mix.

The creation of the Eco Park has always been a community effort and Wildsight is now looking for volunteers to help maintain the Eco Park. A volunteer session is scheduled for the evening of Wednesday June 29 from 7pm to 9pm with all ages and abilities invited to come and help with tasks such as pruning and mulching.

There is a move towards using native plants in landscaping as they are adapted to our local environmental conditions so can grow well without a lot of watering and care. Landscaping with native species also adds to the ecological health of area and supports native birds and insect life.

“We've planted over 50 species of trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses - all of them native to our area.” said Helen Sander, who has been the Wildsight lead on the project since its inception. “Many of the bushes are in flower now and we’ll have our plant identification signs up on Wednesday evening so volunteers can learn to identify the native plants of our area and the traditional uses of these plants."

Volunteers don’t need to bring anything but some extra hand pruners or garden trowels are always useful. Refreshments will be provided. The Marysville Eco Park is located just off Highway 95A at the Mark Creek Bridge across the road from the start of the Marysville Falls walkway. The seven metal trout sculptures at the entrance the Eco Park are easy to see.

“Attending a volunteer session is a great way to spend an evening by the creek with both old and new friends”, said Sander. "We're hoping to be able to show some new people around the Eco park on Wednesday"

For more information please contact Helen at 250 427-2535 or helen@wildsight.ca. Wildsight would also like to hear from you if you’re interested in volunteering but aren’t able to make it on Wednesday evening.