Reforesting Marlene Street Park

St. Vital

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/04/2024 (819 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Save Our Seine’s focus on the Lavallee and Marlene Street communities continues to progress.

As part of our urban restoration and enhancement Initiative, a number of activities with a focus on the Marlene Street area are being firmed up:

• Marlene Street Park reforestation – SOS’s plan for a transformative, large-scale reforestation of Marlene Street Park has settled on a date. Join us the weekend of June 8 and 9 to plant over 1,000 trees in a large swathe in the rear half of the park, helping to create Winnipeg’s newest urban forest. Help us facilitate this act of reconciliation with the river at a former City of St Vital landfill that was decommissioned in the 1940s. This forest will provide shade and wind protection for walkers, joggers, and wildlife, and will still leave a substantial area at the front of the park for play and activities requiring wide-open spaces. The rain date for this event is the following weekend —June 15 and 16.

• Community cleanup event – SOS is partnering with the Manitoba Metis Federation for a community cleanup event of Marlene Street Park, in advance of the tree planting initiative. MMF members in the area are encouraged to reach out.

• New trail across the Hydro corridor – Manitoba Hydro has provided SOS with preliminary approval to construct a pathway across its right-of way corridor between Beliveau and Lavalee roads. Right now, a “desire path” (an informal pathway visibly created by people walking and cycling through the vegetation) can be easily seen, probably because the intersection of Lavalee and St. Anne’s roads is controlled by traffic signals. It is also the shortest available route for people coming into the Marlene Street area from the south, as opposed to taking the right-angle path directly up St. Anne’s Road, which is busy and loud, especially for young people. The new pathway, built in part with funding from a Manitoba Trails grant and with the support of the Winnipeg Trails Association, will be a small but significant step towards our long-term vision of a complete active transportation corridor along the Seine River.

We are excited to be undertaking these three connected initiatives this summer in the Marlene Street and Lavallee neighbourhood, bringing bring more nature, recreation, and beauty to this unique and deserving community.

Folks from the neighbourhood wishing to offer feedback or participate in any or all of these projects should connect with info@saveourseine.com

See you this summer!