As they say, teamwork makes the dream work and our Sustainable Neighbourhoods Action Plan (SNAP) projects are proof of that.
Through SNAP, we revitalize mature neighbourhoods across the Credit River Watershed and help communities become more resilient to climate change. By adding more greenery, we are beautifying the neighborhood, providing habitat for wildlife and deepening our connections with nature.
What is SNAP?
SNAP action plans are strategies that are tailored to the needs of each neighbourhood. They are developed in collaboration with the community to advance sustainable urban renewal goals.
The SNAP approach uniquely focuses on the challenges existing urban neighbourhoods are facing and through engagement with the community and project partners, we create an action plan that helps to inspire local climate action.
Currently, we have three active SNAP projects in neighbourhoods across the watershed:
Thriving Communities for all Life
Our current SNAP locations are full of various habitats, including forests, meadows, wetlands and ravines, all of which are home to diverse flora and fauna.
Many of the actions we prioritize in our SNAP neighbourhoods help to enhance habitat for wildlife.
Redside Dace
Fletchers Creek, which flows through the Fletchers Creek SNAP neighbourhood, is a regulated habitat for the redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus), a nationally and provincially endangered species.
The rain garden at Glendale Public School was designed to capture water from the school roof and playground surface that previously pooled in the schoolyard and made the field too soggy to play on. It also has the additional benefit of managing water quality and quantity entering the creek by slowing down, soaking up and filtering rainwater.
Initiatives like these help to keep the creek clean and cool, supporting redside dace populations and beautifying the community.
Snapping Turtles
Hungry Hollow SNAP is a part of the Credit River-Hungry Hollow Centre for Biodiversity (CFB), a significant natural heritage area with invaluable biodiversity. Made up of critical habitat of watershed importance and strategic areas for restoration and enhancement, it’s home to several species at risk and provincially and locally rare species, including the mighty snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina).
Our partners and community members have been working hard to enhance habitat in Hungry Hollow ravine to support the wide variety of plants and animals living there. This includes community tree planting and invasive species removal events.
Monarch Butterfly
Cooksville SNAP is an established urban neighbourhood that is home to a network of natural habitats, including deciduous forests, cultural woodlands, coniferous plantations, meadows and streams. Over 45 species of fauna, such as birds, butterflies, fish, reptiles and small mammals, as well as over 200 species flora, such as trees, shrubs and wildflowers, have been observed in the Cooksville SNAP area.
One key pollinator found here is the vibrant monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Monarch populations have been declining, but luckily, we can take action to create habitat in our urban neighbourhoods that supports their breeding cycle.
Milkweed is the monarch’s host plant, meaning the caterpillars depend on the plant as its only food source. Milkweed serves both as food for adult butterflies and caterpillars and egg-laying habitat.
Through the Cooksville SNAP, we have been working with the community to enhance habitat for pollinators. This includes working to remove invasive species such as buckthorn, that overtake space, food and nutrients that native plants such as milkweed need to grow. In addition, we are also helping pollinators by supporting residents planting native species in their gardens and on their properties.
Get Involved in Your Neighbourhood
Do you want to get involved in supporting wildlife in your neighbourhood? Make a difference and learn how you can help by joining us at our upcoming community-centered events:
- Join us at an upcoming invasive species pull at Richard Jones Park in Cooksville SNAP on May 24. These actions help restore habitat for our native wildlife to survive and allow a more diverse ecosystem to thrive.
- Enjoy a spring evening at our Chai and Coffee Night on June 5 at Our Lady of Fatima School in Fletchers Creek SNAP with a feature presentation on attracting birds to your yard.
- Explore nature in your community at our Life of the River Walk on June 22 in Hungry Hollow SNAP. Join our Natural Heritage team as they guide you along the walk, discovering hidden nature gems together in Hungry Hollow ravine.
By Gursimran Parmar, Coordinator, Sustainable Neighbourhoods.