Free the Fern was invited by the Champlain Heights Community Association to participate in the Champlain Heights Summer Fair on June 11, 11am-3pm.
11 Free the Fern volunteers helped with set-up, event outreach, and clean-up.
At our event table we had a “Pop Quiz” (designed by Free the Fern member, Kiki).
The Pop Quiz was a display of lollypops. A participant could receive a lollypop if they answered a nature-based question. The questions ranged in difficulty-level from easy to hard. Examples of questions were: “Why is English ivy so dangerous to trees?”, “Can you name a native fern from our area?”, and “What does it mean to be a volunteer steward?” We had 175 people participate in our Pop Quiz.
In addition, we also had on display bouquets of native ferns, berries, and flowers.
The bouquets were a useful tool for educating the public about the variety of native plants in our neighbourhood.
In addition, we had examples of baskets woven from invasive ivy (created by Free the Fern member, Joe). Many expressed an interest to attend a future workshop on weaving with ivy.
In addition to engaging with our volunteers at the table, many members of the public signed up to be added onto our volunteer email list.
Over all, it was a successful event as Free the Fern was able to connect with those in the community and build awareness about the importance of stewarding the Champlain Heights Trails.
Special thank you to our volunteers: Teresa, Kiki, Westley, Grace, Antone, Erin, Liam, Connor, Karen, Catherine, and Paola.