Parks, Trees & Environment Committee

As a volunteer committee of the Annex Residents' Association, the Parks, Trees, and Environment Committee works to maintain and strengthen the quality of life in the Annex through various projects. These include, first and foremost, a focus on the integrity, maintenance, and renewal of our urban forest. In addition we work to protect and expand our existing network of parks and open green spaces.

Overall our aim is to ensure the community continues to enjoy close ties with the natural elements that help sustain our built environment. To this end, we work closely with our neighbours and various working committees of the Annex, as well as with representatives of the City's Parks, Forestry, and Recreation Department, and with our Councillor's office.

Part of our strategy to maintain the urban forest is to ensure inhabitants of our neighbourhood appreciate the trees and the joy it brings to our community. Join us for our festivals celebrating the life (and fruits) that trees bring us. In July, we have our annual mulberry festival. Neighbours are invited to come out and pick mulberries as a group from privately owned trees. New to the Annex will be a Maple Syrup festival. We will harvest sap from trees in February and have a neighbourhood event boiling off maple syrup.

We welcome volunteers willing to help in any of the following areas:

  • Fundraising (grant applications, donations, tax receipts, management of process liaise with Evergreen)
  • Administration, bookkeeping, financial reporting, supplies, photocopying, etc.
  • Tree surveying (assisting Forestry students in collecting and inputting data)
  • Volunteers (recruiting, maintaining database of volunteers)
  • Media/Community Liaison/Education (letting residents know about our project)
  • Photography and mapping
  • Co-ordinate ordering, delivery and community assistance with planting of trees (and LEAF liaison) for property owners who wish to add trees
  • Report and letter writing (e.g. to ARA Board and for publication)

To become a member of the Parks, Trees, and Environment Committee, please send a message with subject line "Environment" to [email protected].