Mother Earth Day

Visit us at the Mother Earth Day event between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm until supplies last to pick-up a complimentary free tree. Quantities are limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first serve basis. Choices of tree species are the following:

Red Maple (1 gal)

Reaches 25 metres high. Trunk grows up to 1 metre in diameter. Light green leaves with sharp teeth. Have 3 to 5 lobes separated by shallow notches (5 to 15 centimetres). Leaves turn bright red in fall. Smooth, light grey bark when young. Becomes dark greyish brown with flaky peeling ridges with age. Individual flowers with 5 small petals that grow in clusters on slender stalks. Bloom in late winter to early spring before leaves appear. Winged keys contain 2 seeds in swollen seedcase (wings 12 to 25 millimetres). Keys mature in early summer.

Bitternut Hickory (1 gal)

Grows 15 to 20 metres tall. Trunk reaches 30 to 80 centimetres in diameter. Dark green leaves are 15 to 25 centimetres long. Have 7 to 11 long, pointed leaflets on a central stalk. Dark grey bark with shallow ridges. Long, green catkins bloom in spring. Round and bitter inedible nuts (2 to 3.5 centimetres long).

White Cedar (1 gal)

Small, hardy and slow-growing tree. Reaches 10 metres high. Trunk up to 30 centimetres in diameter. Small, scaly needles cover fan-shaped twigs. Yellow-green in colour. Thin and shiny when tree is young. Separates into flat and narrow strips as the tree ages. Cones grow in clumps of 5 or 6 pairs (7 to 12 millimetres long).

White Spruce (1 gal)

Usually grows to be 24 metres tall. Under ideal conditions, can grow to more than 30 metres tall. Trunk can reach about 60 centimetres in diameter. Needles are about 2 centimetres long. Bluish green or green in colour, with a whitish powdery, waxy layer. Grey-brown in colour with a flaky texture. Cones are 5 to 7 centimetres long. Light brown in colour.

American Mountain Ash (2 gal)

Medium-sized tree up to 10 metres tall. Dark green or yellow leaves with pale undersides. Have 13 to 17 toothed leaflets (5 to 10 centimetres). Bark is smooth, light grayish brown when young. Becomes rough with age. White flowers grow in dense umbrella-shaped clusters with broad petals at the tip (3 to 4 millimetres). Flowers bloom in May and June. Bunches of bright orange-red berries (4 to 6 millimetres) that mature in August.

Red Oak (2 gal)

Reaches 20 to 30 metres high. Thick trunk (up to 30 to 90 centimetres in diameter). Dark green (10 to 20 centimetres long) leaves that have sharp, pointed lobes (usually 7 to 9) with bristly tips. Smooth and dark grey bark when the tree is young. Deep ridges develop with age. Yellow-green catkins develop in spring. Acorns are round (2 to 3 centimetres long) with a scaly cap that covers less than a quarter of the acorn.

Criteria to acquire a free tree

• Must show proof of City of Niagara Falls residency (photo ID or government documentation).
• Limited to 1 tree per property.
• Residents will be responsible for planting and caring for their free tree.
• Tree must be planted within the City of Niagara Falls boundaries.
• Residents must be present with I.D. per property to receive a tree.

For tips on how to plant and care for your tree, please see the Native Plant Guide for details.

NOTE: Don't forget to pick-up a free bag of compost in the Firemen's Park parking lot compliments of Niagara Region Waste Management.

Demonstrators

• Indigenous Celebration – Take part in a special celebration conducted by the Shawana Family Drum who will be perform dance, drumming and storytelling.
• Canadian Raptor Conservancy Birds of Prey – Come see and take pictures with amazing hawks, owls, falcons and other birds of prey.
• Native Plant Gardening – Learn how to plant with native species compliments of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.  Public participation is encouraged.
• Bee Hives – Renee Delaney from Small Scale Farms will introduce bee hives and talk about the importance of this species.
• Land Care Niagara - Come and learn about pollinator plants and make your own native pollinator seed ball using clay and soil.
• Niagara Taiji Center - Steve Tchang will teach participants exercises which demonstrate the functionality of Taiji.

Demonstrator Schedule

• 10:00 am
  • Amphitheatre - Shawana Family Drum - Indigenous Celebration
• 10:30 am
  • Tent Area - Native Plant Gardening
• 11:00 am
  • Amphitheatre - Birds of Prey 
• 11:30 am
  • Tent Area - Bee Hives
• 12:00 pm
  • Amphitheatre - Shawana Family Drum - Indigenous Celebration
• 12:30 pm
  • Amphitheatre - Birds of Prey
• 1:00 pm
  • Tent Area - Creating Native Pollinator Seed Balls
• 1:30 pm
  • Amphitheatre - Tai Chi
• 2:00 pm
  • Amphitheatre - Shawana Family Drum - Indigenous Celebration
• 2:30 pm
  • Amphitheatre - Birds of Prey

Youth Activities....and it's FREE to participate!

• Heartland Forest Experience Train Ride: Kids of all ages can come and ride the miniature train all day for FREE!  The train will start after 10:00am and take riders throughout Firemen's Park. Train stops will roughly be 10 to 15 minutes long in duration.
• Butterfly Obstacle Course: Explore the lifecycle of a butterfly from caterpillar to expert pollinator. Crawl through the caterpillar tunnel, wrap yourself up into a cocoon and burst out as a butterfly. Make sure you run through our flower field to pollinate!
• Mother Baby Match Up: Can you match all the babies with their mother? Examine photos of baby animals and return them to their mother!
• Science Experiment: Try making your own tornado, with our tornado in a bottle. Explore the Cartesian diver experiment and see if you can hook the diver to the sunken anchor!
• Touch Table with Pelts & Skulls: Take some time to feel a few animal pelts while learning nature facts. Examine the skulls and see if you can guess what these animals eat! 
• Trivia Question with Spinning Wheel: A spinning wheel featuring trivia questions related to recycling and other eco-friendly activities. Participants who answer correctly will win merchandise.
• Button/Collage Making: The team from MYAC will re-purpose old magazines to create buttons and collages, a fun and creative way to reuse materials and spread awareness about upcycling.
• Garbage Basketball: This activity aims to educate participants about proper waste segregation. People will toss garbage into bins of different colours, with the exception of the green bin, which is reserved for organic waste.  Participants will be able to win prizes for correct results.
• Leaf Bashing Activities: MYAC is introducing a new activity where participants can use leaves to create beautiful patterns and designs. This hands-on activity emphasizes the beauty of nature and encourages creativity through eco-friendly materials. Using leaves collected from the surrounding area. By gently bashing the leaves onto paper or white cotton material, they'll transfer the natural pigments onto the surface, resulting in stunning leaf imprints to take home.

Vendors

Awareness

• 8 Trees Inc
• City of Niagara Falls
• City of Niagara Falls Cemetery Services
• Environmental Action Committee - Welcome Tent and Tree Giveaway
• Heartland Forest
• Land Care Niagara
• Links For Greener Learning
• Mayor's Youth Advisory Committee
• Niagara Falls Public Library
• Niagara Peninsula Aspiring Geopark
• Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
• Niagara Region Waste Management - Free Compost Available
• Niagara Wildlife at Risk
• Plant Based Treaty
• Plots of Love
• Project SHARE
• The Ass Menagerie Animal Sanctuary
• Xerces Society

Retail

• Amici Per La Vita Niagara Cycling Club
• Back Country Road
• Corks and Bubbles
• Divine Propagation
• Dovecote & Co.
• Gilli Naturals
• Glass by Deanna
• Ken's Kreations
• Lacey Boucher Books
• Lyons Stained Glass Art
• Marko Honey Bees
• Nearly New Thrift Store
• Niagara Falls Horticultural Society
• Niagara Parks School of Horticulture
• Plots of Love
• Pure Non-Scents Ltd.
• Shawana Family Drum
• Small Scale Farms
• The Native Plant Gardener
• To the Moon and Back
• Tread Forward
• Turnaround Toys
• Urban Nature Store
• Vanjo Dyes
• Westlane Secondary School/Dig It

Food & Beverage

• Helenrie's Kitchen
• Johnny Rocco's Wood Fired Pizza Truck
• Marble Slab Creamery
• MJ Ingribelli Food Truck
• SCVFA BBQ & Beverages
• Sining Breads & Pastries
• Soups -N- Things

Public Service

• 105.1 The River FM
• Bicycle Valet
• Eco Defenders Recycling
• Niagara Region Water Truck
• St. John Ambulance

Sponsor Activation Booths

• Enbridge
• Niagara Peninsula Energy Inc.
• Ontario Power Generation
• Walker