Chatham-Kent (CK) is celebrating another Earth Day with clean-ups, restoration, and a whole weekend dedicated to the environment.
"Earth Day is extremely important. I mean, the environment is what we all live in, and we need to preserve it not only currently but for our kids and grandkids as we move forward," said CK Mayor Darrin Canniff.
He explained that preserving the Earth is top of mind, with a grant recently secured to plant more urban trees.
"As we proceed on anything we're doing, we always look to see 'how can we preserve the environment?'," Canniff added.
According to NatureCK, the area has the lowest tree coverage and air quality in the province.
"That's not to say that there aren't groups that are doing their part," said NatureCK Past President Mike Smith. "There is some attention being paid, but certainly in CK, we have a long way to go."
To help commemorate this years Earth Day, NatureCK announced it has restored a long-standing bird house that had been toppled due to strong winds.
On Friday, the Purple Martin house at Crothers Park was raised and will now be ready for the return of migrating birds. They noted that just after the construction, a Purple Martin bird began moving into the house.
The community-powered conservation group is taking part in the City Nature Challenge BioBlitz. The activity-packed weekend is a collaboration between CK, the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority, the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, and NatureCK.
"We encourage people to get out and enjoy the nature that we have left in CK and do what you can to take care of it and encourage people to do the same," expressed Smith.
To demonstrate its commitment to environmental preservation, Canniff noted that CK workers will participate in various clean-ups throughout the municipality.
The YMCA is also taking part in the day, hosting its very first clean-up across southwestern Ontario.
In Chatham, staff and volunteers will be meeting at 101 Courthouse Lane. The initiative is set to begin at 3 p.m. and last two hours.
"This is part of our response to our commitment to environmental sustainability," said YMCA Vice President of Asset Management Andy Sullivan. "We thought it would be a good idea to just take our collective staffing and volunteer manpower and put it to use in our community."
The organization said this is the start of a meaningful annual tradition.
