2026

Invasive species threaten not only biodiversity and ecological health, but also our relationships with the land and the interconnected systems that sustain all life. When invasive species disrupt native habitats, they affect the plants, pollinators, birds, medicines, and food systems that communities have relied upon for generations. Addressing invasive species therefore requires more than ecological management; it requires renewed relationships of stewardship, reciprocity, and care for the land. Integrating this learning into both K–12 education and community programming is critical to building long-term ecological stewardship and to restoring relationship with our lands and waters.

The Camp Kawartha Environment Centre is a not-for-profit charity and outdoor education centre situated within the Trent University Green Network (Trent Lands) which comprises approximately 900 acres of wetlands, forests, farmland, and naturalized green space on Trent University’s Symons Campus. As part of the larger Camp Kawartha organization, the Environment Centre provides immersive outdoor and environmental education that annually hosts more than 2000 children, youth, educators, and community members to deepen their relationship with the natural world through experiential learning and stewardship programs. Designed and built by students in Fleming College’s Sustainable Building program, the Environment Centre showcases alternative energy and regenerative living practices in action. Partnering with Trent Lands, and as a leader in the United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise in Sustainability Education (RCE), Camp Kawartha recognizes a responsibility not only to educate about invasive species, but also to actively participate in ecological restoration and regenerative land stewardship. Birds and Bees Without Buckthorn will provide a foundation for a multi-year project led by the Environment Centre Nature School and directly incorporated into our K-12 school programs and leadership camps.

Trent Lands recently released a report entitled Ggwepnandizamin: ‘Together, putting our best effort forward toward something important’, which identifies Buckthorn, Dog Strangling Vine (DSV), phragmites and Japanese Knotweed as aggressive invasive species. Over the past three years, Environment Centre leadership camps have partnered with Trent Lands to identify best practices for removing DSV. Birds and Bees without Buckthorn continues and expands our collaboration through a restoration project focusing on the most significant invasive species surrounding the Environment Centre: Buckthorn.

Birds and Bees without Buckthorn will engage students in Nature School, school programs, and leadership camps in mapping, removing Buckthorn, and restoring two ecologically significant areas surrounding the Environment Centre. The program is guided by three interconnected educational goals: 1. promoting the identification and mitigation of Buckthorn as an invasive species; 2. developing ecological restoration programming grounded in Indigenous knowledge, native planting, seed-saving, and food sovereignty; and 3. engaging youth in immersive stewardship, citizen science, and STEM learning through the practical application of GIS and environmental mapping technologies.

Restoration of these areas is critical to supporting native keystone species, increasing biodiversity, improving habitat for species-at-risk, and respecting Indigenous traditional knowledge and foodways. Furthermore, one of the regions is an abandoned orchard that has been overused through Environment Centre programming, allowing for both restoration and discussion of human impact on the environment. The project will integrate multi-year monitoring and storytelling through an ArcGIS map, enabling students to observe changing ecological relationships over time and understand how habitat restoration supports the renewal of species at risk and native ecosystems.

Birds and Bees without Buckthorn will generate long-term benefits through three interconnected areas: ecological restoration, reciprocal relationships, and community-based education and research. This project supports not only biodiversity restoration, but also deepens relationships between people, place, and knowledge systems.

Ecological Restoration: Birds and Bees without Buckthorn focuses on removing Buckthorn and re-establishing species that are beneficial to birds, pollinators, insects, wildlife and Indigenous foodways and medicines. Buckthorn is an aggressive shrub that thrives in open habitat surrounding the CK Environment Centre, crowding out native plants by altering soil nitrogen levels and shading out other species. It rapidly spreads through birds who eat its berries. However, the fruit irritates birds’ digestive tracts, impacting their health. Buckthorn is considered a noxious weed under Ontario’s Weed Control Act as it hosts the soybean aphid and oat rust, causing significant damage to crops. Removing Buckthorn helps to restore natural habitat but also protects nearby agricultural lands.

Birds and Bees without Buckthorn initially focuses on reestablishing native tree species and flowering shrubs. Species chosen for restoration support identified species-at-risk, including the Eastern Wood Peewee, Wood Thrush, Red-Headed Woodpecker, Bobolink, Meadowlark, Savannah and Grasshopper Sparrows. Many of the trees and flowering shrubs are keystone species for over 600 caterpillars and 100 native bees that are dependent on these species for food and habitat

Relationship: Ecology is fundamentally about relationships, not only among the birds, bees, insects, and wildlife within a thriving ecosystem, but also between human communities and the lands and waters they inhabit. Each species selected for planting reflects inclusion of Indigenous knowledge systems, medicines and foodways. A core vision of this project is to support Indigenous food sovereignty through inviting Indigenous engagement and relationship, including promoting Indigenous harvesting of medicines and traditional foods.

Birds and Bees without Buckthorn strengthens relationships across the Trent community and within regional partnerships. Students will work closely with Trent Lands to establish long-term restoration management plans, inviting other communities within Trent University to participate in the restoration and education of these key areas surrounding the Environment Centre. Community ties will further be strengthened through seed-saving programs (KLT), plant purchasing (GreenUP) and sharing Extractigators between local environmental groups and initiatives. This embodies Ggwepnandizamin: ‘Together, putting our best effort forward towards something important’

Education and Research: While we are requesting catalyst funding for the first year, this is a multi-year student stewardship action project that that will directly involve our Nature School programs, involve over 2000 students annually and raise awareness of invasive species, ecosystem restoration and Indigenous Foodways for over 7000 visitors to the Environment Centre through signage, social media and other community events.

Employing ArcGIS will provide the foundation for a long-term restoration project with a strong story-telling capability. Too often, ecological restoration is a singular event that has little planning, monitoring or stewardship. By integrating ecological restoration with GIS-based research, Indigenous land-based learning, and local partnerships, Birds and Bees without Buckthorn commits not only to knowledge sharing, but also to collaborative research and stewardship practices.