These nurseries will supply our need for native plants for riparian restoration projects (e.g., Living Shorelines) that we will undertake at each of the schools within the Cocagne watershed. Once planted in permanent soil, young trees reduce surface water runoff by absorbing it through their roots, mitigate shoreline erosion, and enhance wildlife habitats.
In the same theme, we enlisted an expert to teach the youth how to propagate plants through cuttings. With the assistance of students from Cocagne and Notre-Dame schools, we created two educational video capsules to raise awareness among the youth about riparian zone naturalization measures.
In the schools of Cocagne and Grande-Digue, we educated the students about watersheds using a watershed model to demonstrate the flow of water from upstream to downstream. To translate theory into practice, we conducted an exploratory walk of the watershed outdoors with the two respective schools. We began the walk at the upstream of the watershed and proceeded to the coast downstream, explaining the various characteristics of the area that can influence water quality.
With this understanding of the importance of water quality in a watershed, we began constructing a rain garden at Grande-Digue School. This garden, composed entirely of native plants, will improve water quality and enhance water infiltration into the soil to reduce the risk of flooding. Our goal is to establish a rain garden for each of the three schools.
Remerciements
The PCSDG thanks the Blanche-Bourgeois School, Grande-Digue School, Notre-Dame School, and the EcoAction Community Funding Program for their support of this project.
