Youth Rangers learning about making North Bay a park-like city

Some local youth are learning more about working outdoors on natural resource management projects.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Stewardship Youth Rangers were learning about making North Bay a park-like city today (Wednesday) by caring for and maintaining tree seedlings.

They were working with the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority, Greater Nipissing Stewardship Council and Trees for Nipissing at a Tree Starter Nursery on Second Avenue East.

Peggy Walsh Craig is the Stewardship Coordinator with the Conservation Authority.

She says people across the city will benefit from the growing seedlings. “We’ve come together to raise trees to make North Bay a greener place, by having a place to start trees.” She says they have another nursery where they grow out the trees until their larger, “The larger trees are going into city parks and city lands.”

One of the Rangers, Dante Jeffrey (pictured below), is heading into grade 12 at St Joseph-Scollard Hall, but is also looking at future careers, “I’m definitely looking into the conservation field, whether it’s wildlife or foresty. It’s definitely something I’m looking into, so it’s good to get that knowledge.”

He also says they’ve undertaken a number of initiatives so far this summer, “We’ve done Blanding’s Turtle trapping, we’ve done plantation assessments, we’ve done a vast, variety of things.”

The 8-week Stewardship Youth Ranger program runs until the end of August.