PHOTO CREDIT: WES BRAUN
Greetings from the Board President
This past year, the Foundation experienced some challenges, but also had many successes. During our Annual General Meeting in October, each of the board committees reported to the community on what they had achieved.
Grants, donations and our volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization. Our main source of funds for staffing, the Canada Summer Jobs program was reduced nationally, so our summer staff was reduced to four staff for eight weeks. Staff maintained 180 newly planted trees and shrubs, provided lawn care for the Interpretive Centre grounds, removed invasive species and ensured the Park was well maintained for visitors, but it was the additional efforts of our volunteers that helped fill the ‘gap’.
There are numerous groups and individuals who deserve a special THANK YOU in 2023.
- Board and committee members for planning and organizing activities to educate visitors and maintain the Park.
- The City of Winnipeg for providing funding for trees and shrubs, as well as rough cutting the grass, removing waste, and snow clearing.
- The Federal Governments’ Summer Jobs Program for funding summer staff.
- TD Friends of the Environment for startup funding for the planned ‘Food Forest”.
- Private donations to support numerous Park expenses.
- Terry Duguid, Rochelle Squires and Markus Chambers for supporting the annual tree planting event and in securing grants.
- Broadview Academy and Travelers Canada for their tree planting events.
- Ecole St. Germain for offering several educational events.
- Sherwood Property Management, The Waterfront and the St. Vital Evangelical Mennonite Church for providing meeting and parking spaces to support Board events in the Park.
- Urban Retreats Garden Tour for conducting a spring tour.
- Finally, a big thank you to the many volunteers for their ongoing commitment to the Park.
Community engagement continues to be the main reason behind our success. I want to thank everyone who contributed to making the Park the experience what it is today.
John Borody
President, Henteleff Park Foundation
Park provides opportunity to connect with nature
Our well-loved Henteleff Park serves as a welcoming place to connect with nature. This past year several community engagement events provided opportunities to build connections within the community and promote greater awareness and understanding of the plants, insects and wildlife in the Park.
- A group of 21 Grade 4 and Grade 5 students École St. Germain Environment Club explored our Park and were encouraged by their teacher to listen, look and open their senses to what surrounded them. They made notes and sketches on their clipboards during their visit and later used their photos, videos, drawings, words and reflections to create a beautiful music video as part of a class project.
- CTV Morning Live gave us the opportunity to share our story in June. Two students and their teacher from École St. Germain woke up early to share their love of the Park. We also had the opportunity to provide information about the Park’s history, tree planting projects, volunteer opportunities and future plans.
- Using the knowledge of our passionate volunteers, we created opportunities to share their expertise with the community during interpretive walks. We hosted a guided walk during Pollinator Week and were introduced to the iNaturalist platform; were amazed to learn about the wide variety of insects that call the Park home; went wild for wildflowers; and on two occasions, explored and learned all about our indigenous trees. With capacity crowds and wait lists, we look forward to continuing to host interpretive walks in the future.
We welcome new ideas and look forward to building partnerships that support the HPF mandate to develop and maintain a natural urban oasis that benefits people and wildlife.
Karen Ilchena, Chair Communications Committee
Why I volunteer
Volunteering at Henteleff Park: Honouring the Past, Relishing the Present, Anticipating the FutureI step silently along the woodland path, heading west toward the river. A rustle in the bushes to my right startles me and I stop to investigate. Seeing nothing, hearing nothing, I move on. Then, again, a noise. A lone squirrel stocking up for winter? Prairie grasses gently moving in the fall breeze? As I slowly look up, I spot the source.
My companions on the trail through Henteleff Park this peaceful October day are two Whitetail deer: a doe and her fawn. As I stop, they stop. We stare at each other, share a few seconds of recognition, and then continue on our separate ways, simply enjoying the natural beauty of this lovely 12-hectare tract of land along the Red River in St. Vital.
I first visited Henteleff Park one hot and humid July afternoon a few years ago. A friend had asked me to accompany her on a search for Monarch butterflies in the Park. A photographer, she wanted to add to her collection of butterfly photos. Neither of us was disappointed as the afternoon excursion came to an end – she was delighted with her pictures and I had fallen in love with a landscape which welcomed me and piqued my curiosity at the same time.
How had this parcel of land escaped the hands of property developers whose work loomed large in the immediate neighbourhood and beyond? Like many other areas of Winnipeg, south St. Vital had seen a massive expansion of condominium complexes and new residential communities in the last few decades.
Why hadn’t it happened here?
And the impressive variety of trees, including those planted in straight rows? Where did they come from? Who had lived here and loved this land?
It seemed like the Park held so many memories. I sensed that there were stories here.
Since that first walkabout, I have become a regular hiker in the Park, always enjoying the peace and natural beauty regardless of weather, seasonal changes or chaotic world events. Learning to identify the various plants and trees has been a special joy to me and has enhanced my experience in the Park enormously. I now anticipate when the first tiny wildflowers will appear in the spring and when the tamarack will cast its golden glow at the end of October, making its colourful contribution to the beauty of the Park long after the deciduous trees have lost their leaves.
My newly acquired understanding of the history of the Park has been a revelation. Henteleff Park is named after the immigrant family who arrived from Europe a hundred years ago, and started market gardening on the land. I have also learned that, in the 19th century, Metis families owned sections of this property.
In early 2023, I offered to volunteer at the Park. Joining the HPF Communications Committee introduced me to a wonderful group of dedicated and skilful Henteleff Park enthusiasts. Their willingness to share their wisdom and knowledge so generously and patiently has made my volunteer experience a joy.
As just one of many volunteers at Henteleff Park, I have grown to appreciate the scope of work that is involved in preserving this south Winnipeg treasure. Maintaining the Park as a unique intersection of our city’s geography, history, ecology and natural beauty requires a large team of volunteers now and in the future.
Donna Marion
Member, Communications Committee
To explore volunteer opportunities at Henteleff Park or to share your story of why you are a volunteer please contact Terri Ashcroft, Volunteer Coordinator terri.ashcroft@henteleffpark.org
PHOTO CREDIT: WES BRAUN
A year-round oasis for wildlife
Henteleff Park is always a good place to hear and see wildlife. This year’s fawns have lost their spots and grown considerably, although they will still stay with their mothers over the winter. Two sets of twin fawns were observed this year.
A res
ident of The Waterfront condo complex, who closely monitors wildlife in the park, counted five bucks and 14 does and fawns in one week in late October. During the fall mating season, when bucks are in pursuit of a mate, bucks spar with other bucks to determine dominance and to compete for receptive does. It is especially important for people and their pets to give deer extra space this time of the year.
Coyotes, which have been around the Park for several years, but usually only in the winter, now appear to be permanent residents in the Park and surrounding area. They were spotted at various times throughout the summer season.
Although this caused concern for people at times, the coyotes generally ignore the human visitors to the Park. However, walkers should ensure that they read the signs posted by the main entrances to the Park to make sure they know how to respond if a coyote comes too close.
Both deer and coyotes frequent the Park in winter. Year-round bird residents include Downy woodpeckers, Hairy woodpeckers, Pileated woodpeckers, Great horned owls, Blue jays, White-breasted nuthatches and the ever-popular Chickadees, which are probably the most commonly spotted bird in the winter. But keep your eyes open for winter visitors such as Owls, Common redpolls and flocks of Bohemian waxwings. If you see any interesting or unusual birds in the Park over the winter, please let us know!
Marilyn Latta, Chair Site Management Committee
PHOTO CREDIT: WADE MUNRO
Your generosity makes a difference
Did you know that Henteleff Park is owned by the City of Winnipeg and managed in cooperation with the City by the Henteleff Park Foundation? Our non-profit, volunteer-run registered charity employs summer staff, plants trees and shrubs, maintains trails and provides interpretive programs. Thank you so much for your generous donations that help us fulfill our stewardship of Henteleff Park.Your donations have:
- Purchased a voice amplifier unit to improve our interpretive walk experience.
- Topped up summer employee salaries above minimum wage.
- Supported hiring an employee to water new plantings in September.
- Purchased gas for Park maintenance equipment.
- Maintained and repaired that equipment.
- Rented the portable toilets at the Interpretive Centre and across from the Tall Grass Prairie.
None of this would have been possible without your financial gifts and support. We truly appreciate your commitment to the Park and gratefully accept new and ongoing personal donations. The WAYS TO DONATE article below has more information on how you can support and donate to the Henteleff Park Foundation.Terri Ashcroft, Volunteer Coordinator
WAYS TO DONATE
As we work to restore the Park, each year we apply for grants from government and from some corporations to enable us to purchase native species of trees and shrubs, pay salaries to summer staff, and maintain equipment. These grants are by no means assured.
We welcome and gratefully accept personal donations by cheque, through the CanadaHelps website or by using this QR Code.
Donate Securities
CanadaHelps makes it easy to donate securities, including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, to Henteleff Park Foundation. To ensure your gift qualifies for a 2023 tax receipt, complete your mutual funds donation before December 8. All other securities donations should be completed before December 15 to allow time to process the securities transaction.
Benefits of Donating Securities
- Eliminate Capital Gains Taxes – When you donate securities directly to Henteleff Park Foundation, capital gains tax is eliminated, allowing you to donate more. IMPORTANT UPDATE: This is the last year that capital gains on donations will be tax-free! In 2024, 30 percent of the capital gain will be taxable and your donation tax credit will be cut in half.
- Instant Tax Receipts – You receive the charitable tax receipt for the market value on the date the security is received by Canada Helps broker.
Learn more at Donate Securities and Mutual Funds to Charity | CanadaHelps
We are a non-profit registered charity with Canada Revenue agency and all donations receive a tax-deductible receipt. If donating by cheque please make it payable to “Henteleff Park Foundation.”
1964 St. Mary’s Road
Winnipeg, MB R2N 4G8
Betty Parry, Vice-Chair
Huong Giang Nguyen, Treasurer
Corinne Caron, Secretary
Terri Ashcroft, Director
Laura Britten, Director
Owen Clune, Director
Doug Drobot, Director
Karen Ilchena, Director
Les Janzen, Director
Ian Keenan, Director
Marilyn Latta, Director
Sheila Pursey, Director
Yude Henteleff, President Emeritus
We are now able to turn these long term goals into realities by creating an arboretum and a food forest in the Park, a process that will take a number of years to bring to fruition.
Closely related to the idea of an arboretum, a demonstration food forest is a diverse collection of trees and shrubs that provide edibles. When certain species are planted together the food forest can mimic the patterns and interactions found in naturally occurring ecosystems. A food forest will serve as an additional Park educational space while benefiting the adjacent Tall Grass Prairie Restoration by attracting pollinators. We hope that this food forest will add a unique feature to complement the Park’s existing landscape and ecosystems while also giving a sense of continuity with both the Métis and market garden history of this land.
Our first group of Thursday morning volunteers met on May 24th and cleaned the Interpretive Centre area. They washed all of the signs, swept and weeded. These efforts are much appreciated and the Interpretive Centre looks great. Volunteers are welcome to meet in the parking lot every Thursday at 8:30 am. Tasks will vary each week.
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, our Volunteer Tree Planting on June 11th was well-attended and successful. Fifty-two volunteers planted 87 tree and shrubs. During the summer, staff were able to plant an additional 211 trees and shrubs. Species planted included, but were not limited to, Manitoba maple, American linden (Basswood), Bur oak, Paper birch, Ironwood, White spruce, Nannyberry, Highbush cranberry, Snowberry, Mountain maple, Wild plum, Wild black currant, Shrubby cinquefoil, Wood rose, and several types of Dogwood.
