In partnership with the
Fondation Hydro-Québec pour l’environnement
and
Nature-Action Québec
,
Pointe-Claire continues to develop Terra-Cotta Park
The city of Pointe-Claire, is pleased to announce that the development of Terra-Cotta Natural Park and awareness activities will continue, thanks to support from the Fondation Hydro-Québec pour l’environnement (FHQE) and Nature-Action Québec. “Our park is an exceptional woodland,” says the mayor. “It’s part of our natural heritage, and we are taking action, together with our partners, to protect this natural environment and make sure our residents have access to a 39-hectare green space.”
The project is made possible through the City of Pointe-Claire’s $70,000 investment and a $93,000 contribution from the FHQE. “Initiatives for developing the park will be carried out with a view to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity, and with full respect for the park’s ecological integrity,” says FHQE Executive Director Carlo Gagliardi. “This is completely in line with the goals of our organization.”
Wildlife management initiatives are planned, including creating hibernation places for garter snakes, setting up nesting boxes, and preserving standing dead trees that can serve as habitats or sources of food for certain species.
“To preserve this urban forest, nearly three kilometres of informal trails will be closed off,” explains Jean-François Dallaire of Nature-Action Québec. “These trails were created over the years by visitors going through the park. Over 1,000 plants will be planted to return the site to its natural state. Official trails will be marked and information boards will be put up at the entrances. There will also be interpretation boards, some interactive, and a map of the park and trails.”
Awareness activities will be organized, particularly with children from Pointe-Claire’s primary schools, and there will be community planting days open to everyone.
“The purpose of these improvements is to preserve a woodland with high ecological value,” concludes Mayor Trudeau. “We want to provide increasingly safer access to the trails and clearly mark out the various uses so that we can protect the varied wildlife and plants of our natural park.”
