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From Gina Pannunzio

For the first time in the history of the Detroit River, an international community-based effort, the Great Global CleanUp: Detroit River, will hold the largest one-day cleanup event on Saturday, April 25, 2020 between 8:00 a.m. and noon. In collaboration with the Earth Day Network and to mark the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day, nine local organizations from the U.S. and Canada will mobilize an estimated 5,000 volunteers from both countries to join together to protect, restore and enhance one of our environmental assets.  

While all of the organizations have held cleanups in the past, this is the first time they have joined forces to make the biggest impact possible. The participating organizations include: Essex Region Conservation Authority, Detroit River Canadian Cleanup, Friends of Ojibway Prairie, Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club, City of Windsor, Windsor Port Authority, Rotary Club of LaSalle Centennial, Sandwich Teen Action Group, Town of LaSalle, Town of Amherstburg, Focused Environment Crew, Friends of River Canard, Windsor Port Authority, Caesars Windsor CodeGreen, Little River Enhancement Group, and the Eyes on Windsor Anne Whidholm Memorial Cleanup. Belle Isle Conservancy, Friends of the Detroit River, Friends of the River Rouge, Erb Family Foundation, International Wildlife Refuge Alliance, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and Green Living Science.

In global solidarity with more than a billion people worldwide, each working together to cleanup their community on Earth Day, the Great Global Cleanup: Detroit River will help to preserve a part of what is almost 20 percent of planet Earth’s freshwater. The Great Lakes water system is arguably the largest source of freshwater on the planet and with this historic partnership we all have a chance to preserve it for our shared use and enjoyment. Around the world, other Great Global Cleanup campaigns will take place in April making it the largest volunteer effort in history with the goal of removing billions of pieces of trash from green spaces, urban communities and waterways.

Volunteers of all ages from Detroit and Ontario are needed to convene on the river’s banks from Belle Isle to Downriver at multiple sites on both sides of the river, each championed by one of the Detroit River Binational Coalition organizations, to remove waste and plastic pollution, improve wildlife habitats and prevent harm to the shared ecosystem. Groups, businesses, families and individuals are welcome to join the effort. To learn more about the Great Global CleanUp: Detroit River, volunteer projects and to register to participate, visit    https://greatglobalcleanupdetroitriver.org/ .

Questions can be sent to Gina Pannunzio, Partnerships and Outreach Coordinator, ERCA at  or (519-776- 5209 ext. 245).

By Chris Hart

In October, the Pelee Island Bird Observatory (PIBO), along with CBC Windsor, asked children ages four to 12 to make a short video about why trees are important. From those submissions, 10 children were selected to attend a Forest Walk with Diana Beresford-Kroeger around Ojibway on Monday, November 4^th. I volunteered for this PIBO event, and after ensuring that each child (and their parents) had their safety and consent forms filled out, I was lucky enough to tag along. During the walk, the kids were treated with many informative facts, anecdotes and activities, all focused around the history, healing power, and overall wonder of trees. After listening to the ‘ocean sounds’ inside of a conch shell, Diana had each of the children place their ear against the trunk of a large tree in order to hear the subtle sounds of its metabolic processes. This was the first of many ways she had the children connect to their natural environment.

Over the course of the walk, Diana, who was escorted by MP Brian Masse, hosted several interactive discussions with the group of contest winners. The kids had a chance to name different types of animals that live in trees, and Diana followed that up with information on how animal-use is also beneficial to the tree. A prime example was her reenactment of how a raccoon rubs a paw paw seed in their claws, inadvertently providing it with a protective coating of grease to help with future germination.

Diana has a new book entitled To Speak for the Trees: My Life’s Journey from Ancient Celtic Woman to a Healing Vision of the Forest. This theme was very evident throughout the walk. She discussed the healing potential of a variety of local plants, ranging from the antioxidants within raspberries and blueberries, to the digestive powers of apples, to the circulation and stroke prevention benefits of sassafras. Diana also touched on the plethora of native trees that have anti-cancer qualities, and how their reduction, and in some cases, extirpation, in the area, paired with increased industrialization has had an impact on the health of the public. In between her lessons aimed at the children, Diana was more than willing to walk along and chat with parents about any local remedies that might benefit their suggested ailments. Diana has her own arboretum on her property in the Ottawa region. One of its many purposes is to propagate native plants with the intention of returning them to areas from which they have been extirpated.

Once the walk was completed, everyone gathered in the visitor’s center for nice lunch provided by the Mushroom Hub. Diana sat at a table with the children, which, compared to the crowds along the walk, provided a more casual setting for them to ask questions and tell their own stories. This was a pleasant end to a very informative and interesting event. Those 10 children were provided with a great experience to interact with a truly remarkable person. The knowledge and passion for nature that Diana shared with them that morning will hopefully lay the foundation for the next generation of environmental enthusiasts and activists.

To learn more about Diana Beresford-Kroeger, please visit www.calloftheforest.ca. For more information about PIBO, and their upcoming events, visit www.pibo.ca or find them on Facebook at Pelee Island Bird Observatory.

By Jessica Middleton

Last month, renowned scientist, author, and visionary Diana Beresford-Kroeger came to Windsor as part of a tour to promote her new book, To Speak For the Trees. On Sunday November 3rd, Ms. Beresford-Kroeger gave a talk to a packed Student Life Centre at St. Clair College.  She was greeted by a “Green Carpet” of local environmental advocates and students with signs showing their support for the student climate strikes. Several members of the Essex County Field Naturalist Club were there, including Tracey Colenutt who provided some paw paw trees for the event.

Ms. Beresford-Kroeger’s talk mirrored her book in telling of her life’s journey from ancient Celtic wisdom to a healing vision of the forest.  She spoke of the trauma of losing both parents by the age of eleven and how a judge spared her from being sent to the orphanage thanks to her family names (her father was an aristocrat and her mother came from a strong Celtic lineage). Ms. Beresford-Kroeger spent her early summers studying under the wardship of Celtic elders, learning about plant medicines and the interconnectedness of life. Her confidence grew, and she completed a double undergraduate in medical biochemistry and classical botany and a Masters in plant physiology by the time she was 21. It was inspiring to hear of some contributions she has made to science over the years, including discovering a form of bioluminescence, developing a famous stroma-free hemoglobin, and making the biochemical connection between human consciousness and tree consciousness well before such things were generally accepted.

The talk culminated with Ms. Bereford-Kroeger sharing her vision for how we can save the forests, and in so doing save ourselves as well. She coined the term “Bioplanning” as the act of aiding and encouraging the connectivity of life in nature. She gave the example of her own property near Ottawa where she is learning to work with the local ecosystem to have thriving gardens and protect rare and valuable species. Ms. Beresford-Kroeger calculates that if every person on Earth plants one tree per year for the next 6 years, we can halt the current climate crisis. Her free app, available at http://calloftheforest.ca/plant-a-tree/, provides all the information required to get started.

Ms. Beresford-Kroeger delivered her talk in a very genuine way, with warmth, humor, and passion. In fact, she was so passionate in sharing her stories that the 1 hour flew by and many of us were left wanting more. The question and answer period was equally fascinating and could have gone on much longer. Fortunately, Diana Beresford-Kroeger is a prolific communicator and we can follow up with any number of her books, documentary and future talks as she continues to share her knowledge and wisdom on trees and life.