For Immediate Release
July 15, 2024
Local initiative sprouts award for Haliburton County Master Gardeners (Minden Hills, Ontario) The Ontario Horticultural Association (OHA) has selected the Haliburton County Master Gardeners as recipients of their 2024 Environment Award. They have been recognized for their outstanding contribution in the advancement of horticulture with the development and launch of the Stepping into Nature multi-media walking tour along the Minden Riverwalk Trail. This award was announced at the OHA Annual General Meeting convention in Guelph on July 13.
Carolyn Langdon, Coordinator for the Haliburton County Master Gardeners, says “The Stepping into Nature self-guided tour extolls the benefits of a natural landscape along a previously degraded section of river in the village of Minden and is a valuable addition to this popular walking trail. It was a very ambitious project for a small group of volunteers so we are particularly honoured by the attention and the award from the OHA“. Master Gardeners Merryn Camphausen and Carolyn Langdon travelled to the OHA Convention in Guelph to accept the award.
“Stepping into Nature is a free, self-guided walking tour of the remarkable flora and fauna along the Minden Riverwalk trail, says project lead, Shelley Fellows. It was an ambitious project including 21 site signs, photos, detailed descriptions of plants, insect information and gardening tips, along with audio stories.” Everything is accessible via a smartphone app called PocketSights and through QR codes on signage throughout the walking tour.
A combination of practical recommendations to address common landscape problems and field research to understand the flowering plants, shrubs, trees and grasses growing along the Minden Riverwalk, the Stepping into Nature walking tour was supported by a Local Initiatives Program grant from the Haliburton County Development Corporation. Insect research, including field collections, were performed by a ULinks team, headed by Caleb Brown from Trent University.
The Haliburton County Master Gardeners is a community service organization. Members are certified Master Gardeners, with expertise in horticulture, botany and gardening in harmony with nature. They are celebrating 22 years in the Haliburton Highlands. The Haliburton County Master Gardeners have visited over 60 properties throughout Haliburton County in the last 3 years to advise property owners on how best to naturalize their properties. Their website contains helpful resources, and they recently published a “Guidebook to Ecological Landscaping in the Highlands”.
-end-
For more information:
Carolyn Langdon, Coordinator, Haliburton County Master Gardeners
Cell. 705-935-0380 carolynlangdon3@gmail.com