Urban oasis

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This article was published 16/07/2022 (1182 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Have you ever stopped to notice how you feel while gazing at a river’s waves and ripples, or while looking up at majestic trees as they seem to touch the sky? Increasing data shows a direct correlation between spending time in nature and overall better health, with benefits to both physical and mental well-being. One good thing resulting from the pandemic was a resurgence of an appreciation of nature — especially for urban dwellers.

For over 30 years, Save Our Seine River Environment Inc. (SOS) has been working to increase access to green space by preserving, protecting, restoring, repairing and caring for the entire length of the Seine River within Winnipeg and the land around it.

Believed to be originally named Tchimâhâgânisipi in Cree (Tchimâhâgâni meaning “seine net” and sipi meaning “river”), the Seine River’s historical significance underwent a major transformation over time.

Over the years it had become a foul-smelling place to dump everything from lumber, concrete and chemicals to appliances, machinery and vehicles. Some years the river, reeking of chemicals, was impassable by canoe.

In 1990, after area residents held a meeting to discuss their concerns, a determined group of neighbours created the aptly named SOS, comprised of volunteers whose mission is to maintain and monitor the health and accessibility of the Seine.

Laurie Ringaert lives along the Seine River, and has been the SOS board chair since 2015.

“I want to make sure we preserve and protect this area for generations to come — for our grandchildren, their children, for all the generations,” Ringaert said.

“It’s really important for us, especially now with climate change. This is such a rich area of green space biodiversity: 26 kilometres of green space in the middle of the city of Winnipeg. It’s so accessible, it serves as a very important educational piece around the environment for youth and the general public. The more they can access these places, the more they will see the value and beauty. They will become advocates themselves. The plants, the animals, the flora and fauna — these are our neighbours.”

Every summer, SOS hires a team of local youth to help care for the Seine River and surrounding areas.

“They do a lot of the river cleanup, weed extraction, some planting, and they fix up the trails,” said Ringaert.

SOS source materials state that the “river keepers,” as they are called, travel the length of the Seine several times by foot, truck, canoe and rowboat. They remove garbage and hidden obstacles so that paddlers can safely navigate the river, pull weeds and invasive shrubs in public green spaces and maintain trails on both banks of the river. Without these annual cleanups, the shallow and narrow river winding through Winnipeg would soon become clogged and stagnant.

“For many years we’ve been the prime program that does that cleanup on the river,” said Ringaert. “It started with local people that lived along the river, where it was sort of a garbage dump. There’s been an evolution to where the Seine River Greenway is now this beautiful gem, an unknown gem for the urban city of Winnipeg. One of the key areas is actually around Royal Wood, Bois-des-Esprits and its walking trails. Hundreds of people walk it every day — it’s incredible.”

The Bois-des-Esprits (Woods Where the Spirits Dwell), one of the largest urban forests in Canada, is home to a multitude of plants and wildlife, including giant oaks, aspens, beavers, blue herons and snapping turtles. This stunning natural wonder was almost lost to housing developments, but with the help of SOS remains a place for anyone in need of a green getaway within the city.

Described by walkers and cyclists as a place of peace and calm, the trail is a place where people of all ages can enjoy the beauty of wildlife, including owls, deer, wildflowers and unique wood carvings nestled in the trees.

As part of the Seine River Greenspaces Enhancement Project, SOS, in partnership with Scatliff + Miller + Murray and the City of Winnipeg, created a paddling dock on the Seine River near John Bruce Road.

“Everybody loves it, because you don’t need to get your feet wet when you get into the kayak,” says Ringaert. “This dock, which opened last year, is the first of its kind in Winnipeg, allowing community members of all abilities, families and those new to watercraft to enjoy the waters of the Seine River by canoe or kayak.”

Though SOS partners with a number of organizations and supporters and receives grants from various levels of government and some private donors, it operates with one part-time executive director and a number of committed volunteers.

“We’ve got a very active board, a working board. They do a lot of the activities of the organization; a lot of it is volunteer,” said Ringaert.

“Everyone is so dedicated and willing to give up time and efforts for Save Our Seine. Over the years that’s what has made it such a great organization that has achieved a lot and is so well respected. Volunteers — that’s what makes us a great organization. It’s a team effort. We don’t have a lot of money, but we seem to do a lot of things.”

SOS has a number of projects and initiatives, from land care to tree planting to education and awareness.

“An important partner has been Louis Riel School Division. We’ve done partnerships with them where we’ve done educational programming, from elementary to high school. We’ve also had university classes come through as part of their learning. We see the greenway and the river as an outdoor classroom — it’s a wonderful asset, the outdoor environmental classroom,” said Ringaert, adding that SOS also gives some tours, including historical tours.

The Eyes on the River initiative encourages people to report environmental concerns, illegal activities, safety hazards and other types of issues affecting the Seine River environment to SOS and the City of Winnipeg. Ringaert said that in the last couple of years they’ve created a database and have become an important conduit of information.

SOS welcomes new members, volunteers and donations. For more, visit saveourseine.com.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca