Elementary students – 660 strong – got down and dirty for the annual Branches and Banks event on May 27.
In partnership with the Cochrane Environmental Action Committee, Glenbow Elementary School and Manachaban Middle School set out to plant trees in various areas within Cochrane.
Students planted trees along Bighill Springs Creek, Glenbow in William Camden Park and Manachaban in Cochrane Ranche near Highway 1A.
“We talked a bit about bank stabilization and what all the plants do in the area and how a native species will react to being in that sort of environment,” explained Grayson Adams, a teacher at Glenbow.
“Then we have other students who are wrapping trees for beaver protection. So we’re trying to replace some of what’s taken away by beavers and also trying to protect what’s there,” Adams said.
According to Tim Giese, chairman of the Branches and Banks event, the students were using a unique method to wrap the trees.
“We have a special technique that was developed by Guy Woods, a Cochrane local. It’s a special technique that allows the tree to expand as it grows and the covering continues to expand with it,” Giese explained.
Giese said people set out with good intentions and wrap trees with chicken wire, but that can actually be detrimental to the tree’s health.
“It doesn’t allow the tree to grow anymore so it gets choked out and dies,” Giese said.
Glenbow has been partnering with the committee to do the Branches and Banks event for five years now while this is Manachaban’s second year participating. Both schools appreciate the learning opportunity the day provides.
“Even talking to kids about how the needs of humans in this area have sort of taken over needs of beavers in this area and what that means. So it’s a different day of environmental learning and getting hands dirty and actually planting,” Adams said.
Giese said the committee is happy to partner with community schools for the event.
“They have some very passionate teachers who care a lot about this so it was pretty obvious to us to partner with them – they have a lot of outdoor programs,” Giese explained.
The event is special for the students because they can come back over the years and see the trees they’ve planted grow. As well, they can see the ones they wrapped survived and were unharmed by the wrapping.
Bow Point Nursery Ltd. sold the trees at a large discount to the committee. Canadian Tire also sold plants used by Glenbow Elementary at a large discount.
Giese said normally this event runs in conjunction with another public event the next day. Unfortunately, the committee has had to postpone the public Branches and Banks event until Sept. 17.
