BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.4.3//EN TZID:America/Toronto X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Toronto BEGIN:VEVENT UID:209@foretcapitaleforest.ca DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20261016T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20261016T120000 DTSTAMP:20260824T160923Z URL:https://foretcapitaleforest.ca/events/mer-bleue-oct-16-am/ SUMMARY:Mer Bleue Community Tree Planting DESCRIPTION:\nThis event is open to the public.\n\n\n\nAre you the type of person who is always up for a challenge? We’re searching for intrepid vo lunteers who are interested in helping us plant 1\,500 trees as part of a large afforestation project in the Mer Bleue sector. Thanks to the generou s support of Trees For Life and the International Congress on Academic Med icine this project will bring new life to a beautiful site that’s more r emote and rugged than our typical urban planting locations. It’s the per fect opportunity for those with a bold and adventurous tree-planting spiri t!\n\n\n\nNo experience is required — we’ll provide all the tools\, tr aining\, and guidance you need. This is a family-friendly event\, welcomin g individuals\, groups\, and children of all ages. Please note: due to the uneven terrain\, the site may not be suitable for participants with mobil ity concerns.\n\n\n\nVolunteer spots are limited to ensure a meaningful\, hands-on experience\, so we encourage early registration to secure your pl ace.\n\n\n\nWhy are we planting here?\n\n\n\nThis site was highlighted in our Afforestation Plan as a high-priority suitable afforestation location\ , which provides a unique opportunity to expand the Mer Bleue – Larose F orest ecological corridor. There are two large Natural Heritage Sites and conservation areas east of Ottawa\; Mer Bleue Bog and Larose Forest. The t wo areas are major ecological features in the region and creating a natura l linkage between the Mer Bleue Bog and Larose Forest presents an excellen t area of focus for afforestation efforts.\n\n\n\nThis forest resides on t he traditional and un-ceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin. It was planted in fall 2024 (1\,500 trees) and fall 2025 (1\,300 trees) within t he Mer Bleue Sector of the Greenbelt owned by the National Capital Commiss ion. This planting is directly along the north and south banks of Bearbroo k Creek. The site is planted with a variety of native trees and shrubs tha t make up the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence forest type. Furthermore\, many of species planted were chosen as they are suitable for riparian areas.\n \n\n\nThis forest was planted as the first site of a mulit-year and large scale effort to afforest an important corridor within the eastern part of Ottawa. Due to many land suitability factors including a close proximity t o water\, conservation areas and Natural Heritage Sites this forest will l ead to an enhanced impact on ecosystem services and local biodiversity\, p otentially creating a wildlife corridor east of Ottawa.\n\n\n\n\nMeeting L ocation:\n\n\n\n\nDIRECTIONS\n\n\n\nMer Bleue Planting Site (North of Bear brook Creek)Across from 4108 Hall RoadCarlsbad Springs\, ONK0A 1K0Please r efer to the site map below for the exact meeting point.\n\n\n\n\nSite Map\ n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nParking:\n\n\n\n\nFree parking is available along Hall Road .\n\n\n\n\nWhat to wear:\n\n\n\n\n\nWear clothes that you find easy to mov e in and closed-toed shoes.\n\n\n\nWe recommend wearing long pants and wat erproof footwear.\n\n\n\nDress according to the weather.\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat t o bring:\n\n\n\n\n\nBring drinking water\, as there is no access to runnin g water on-site. We will have a cooler of drinking water available should you need to refill.\n\n\n\nOptional: Your favourite gardening gloves. FCF will provide gloves if you don’t have any.\n\n\n\n\nIf you have any ques tions\, please contact us at \;comms@foretcapitaleforest.ca. We look f orward to seeing you there!\n\n\n\nThink you’re up for the challenge?\n\ n\n\nRegister Here\n\n\n ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://foretcapitaleforest.ca/wp-content/upload s/2026/08/Mer-Bleue-2026-Planting-Poster.png LOCATION:Mer Bleue Planting Site\, Russell Rd\, Ottawa\, ON K0A 1K0\, Ottaw a\, Canada X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Russell Rd\, Ottawa\, ON K0 A 1K0\, Ottawa\, Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Mer Bleue Planting Site :geo:0,0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Toronto X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Toronto BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR