Last Saturday the Environmental department hosted the Annual “Earth Day Celebration” in Tyendinaga. Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) Environmental Technical & Good Minds departments partnered to coordinate the day’s events.
Each provided participants with a handy backpack containing rubber gloves, garbage bags, hand sanitizer, water, reusable water bottles, and a granola bar.
According to Nicole Storms, Environmental Services Coordinator, there were about 160 people that participated plus the two Tyendinaga Thrashers teams. All participants were given tree seedlings and a number of opportunities to win prizes. There was also a contest for the most unusual find which was a Bowfin Fish.
Despite waking up early Saturday morning the Tyendinaga Thrashers, Pee Wee and Atoms divisions were super excited about the morning activities. Cindy Loft, Tyendinaga Thrashers (Pee Wee division) said “the kids were pretty excited, if you can imagine, we call it ‘ditch day’, they were ecstatic to be in the ditches and picking up garbage, some of them (kids) where shocked to see some of the things that were in the ditches like diapers, [tobacco] chew bottles, bongs…”
Tyendinaga Thrashers applied for money to help with their team through the Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation. One of the conditions for being approved for funding is that DCF requests teams give back to their home communities. Between Cindy and her husband they felt participating in Earth Day was a great opportunity for the team to give back and thank their community for the support and sponsorship during Little NHL.
Ezra Maracle, Daniel Chase, Jared Barberstock and Oronhyathe Green were the winners of the bicycle draws. Two of these boys took the message of the day to heart and gave away their bicycles to other children.
