Red-tailed hawk. Photo Credit: Barry Cherriere

Tales from Niagara is a blog series focused on the people and places that make Niagara’s Greenbelt great. The series will cover everything from local businesses, to seasonal events, to life on Niagara farms. Look out for our upcoming posts to stay up-to-date and informed on exciting going-ons in Niagara's Greenbelt. 

After a long and frigid winter, the warmer temperatures of March are bringing more than just people back outdoors. 

The winged silhouettes of hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey can now be seen drifting over the Niagara Escarpment during their annual spring migration back into Ontario.

For anyone wanting to catch a glimpse of these birds, the best opportunity is at Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in Grimsby, where 14,000 birds are expected to fly through this spring!

Tales from Niagara is a blog series focused on the people and places that make Niagara’s Greenbelt great. The series will cover everything from local businesses, to seasonal events, to life on Niagara farms. Look out for our upcoming posts to stay up-to-date and informed on exciting going-ons in Niagara's Greenbelt. 

Tucked away between woodlots and snow-covered fields, White Meadows Farms might seem an unusual tourist hot-spot.

Being hidden away, however, doesn't deter the tens of thousands of visitors who, come March, flock to the farm in droves. 

Coming from all over, the White Meadows Farms visitors all come for the same reason -  to experience authentic maple syrup straight from the source.

The Greenbelt turned 10! 

This month's newsletter features:

• Details about the Greenbelt Review
• Plans for our 10-year Anniversary celebrations
• A Greenbelt Video Series
• And more...

Jane's Walk, Greenbelt Series
Tides Canada
$22,000, 1 year
janeswalk.org/canada/burlington

Jane’s Walk is a global urban engagement project in which walking tours, led by local volunteers, allow residents to connect, share and develop ideas to enhance their communities. Tens of thousands of people participate every year. This project pilots a 'Neighbourhood Connector' training series in Burlington and surrounding areas, with the goal of engaging 20 community leaders in holding conversations and telling stories about the Greenbelt, and inspiring up to 15 walking tours during the May 2015 Jane's Walk Festival.

Grey to Green Conference
$4,000 (2 years)
greytogreenconference.org

Grey to Green is at the cutting edge of design and policy practice, and showcases more than 75 leading thinkers and doers across a diverse range of fields that reveal the intersection of health and living green infrastructure. This theme for 2014 was the importance of green space to health and wellbeing, a key benefit of the Greenbelt. The multi-disciplinary program is packed with project case studies, design, analytical tools, and cutting edge research from across North America, including many featured projects from the Greater Toronto Area. This funding supports the 2014 and 2015 conferences.

Sparking a Successful 2015 Review through Youth Participation
$50,000 (18 months)
ecospark.ca

The project engages youth in grades 8-12 to learn about and appreciate the Greenbelt through Ecospark's water-monitoring program. The students’ findings will be presented in public forums held in York and Durham regions. A Youth Greenbelt Charter will be launched in the fall highlighting the rights of young people to live in healthy, sustainable communities, which the Greenbelt helps to provide. The project also encourages youth and schools in environmental action by hosting a “10 for 10” contest, which will award 10 schools $1,000 each to undertake innovative environmental projects.

Alternative Avenues for Local Food Procurement in Ontario Schools
$25,000 (19 months)
ecosource.ca

Ecosource are working with hospitality programs in the Durham District School Board to increase the procurement of local and Greenbelt-grown food in schools. The project trains students and teachers in sourcing local food, encourages food literacy in school programming, and builds relationships with local farmers and other members of the food value chain in Durham.

Durham Region Federation of Agriculture
$1,000 (1 year)
ofa.on.ca/about/county-federation-sites/durham.aspx

An evening of celebration of Durham’s agricultural roots, the Durham Farm Connections Celebrate Agricultural Gala was a night of delicious food, entertainment, a silent & live auction, highlighted by the Agricultural Awards: Farm Family Award, Spirit of Agriculture Award, and Leadership Award. The three awards were given to focus attention on the importance of farming as a vibrant and diverse business sector that has both families and organizations actively involved in their community. The event was hosted on October 16, 2014, at The Royal Ashburn Golf Club.

Grey to Greenbelt Tour
$3,500 (1 year)
creditvalleyca.ca

Partnering with the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation and Credit Valley Conservation, the Credit River Alliance hosted a networking event in September 2014 that explored policy issues and key areas of need in the watershed. The event included a forum on capacity building among local not-for-profits, discussion around strengthening the Greenbelt during the 2015 Review, and a train tour crossing the Greenbelt at one of the widest sections. 

Streamlining Regulations: Developing an Agricultural Guide to Conservation Authority Permits in the Greenbelt
$50,000 (15 months)
conservation-ontario.on.ca

Conservation Ontario will convene farmers and conservation authorities to develop a template guide on how to streamline permissions and communications between the two groups. Using the Greenbelt as a study area, the project will identify common challenges and practical solutions that can be integrated into local watershed guidelines. By enabling the reduction of red tape and working more closely with farmers, this project will help to improve the viability of agriculture in the Greenbelt while protecting the environment