The Henteleff Park Foundation acknowledges that we are on Treaty One land and that Manitoba exists on lands and waters that have long sustained the peoples and cultures of the Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininiwak, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline, and the Red River Métis. Through this acknowledgement, we hope to deepen our understanding of the past and the present, to decolonize the ways we think and act, and to contribute to reconciliation and healing.
[WINTER IN THE PARK PHOTO CREDIT: WES BRAUN]
Greetings from the Board President
A new year presents renewed opportunities to pursue our ambitions and dreams for Henteleff Park. Together, we are ensuring the Park becomes an even more inspiring place to learn about and to appreciate the wonders of nature in an urban setting.
On behalf of the Henteleff Park Foundation Board of Directors, I wish you, our community of partners, supporters and volunteers, a healthy and rewarding 2023. I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your generosity and continued support for the work of the Henteleff Park Foundation. Your support is making a real difference in our Park!
Thank you and Happy New Year!
Owen Clune
President, Henteleff Park Foundation
The year has again been a busy and productive one in Henteleff Park. As the Foundation once more held its AGM in October, we had reason to pause and revisit all that had been accomplished. Highlights include the welcome return of our yearly tree planting event and the installation of student works in the Park that focused on the theme of stewardship.
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.
Later in June, a partnership between Henteleff Park Foundation and Samuel Burland School came to completion. During visits to the Park, a class of grade 2/3 students from the school had learned about the challenges of caring for the Park and decided to share with the community what they learned. Twenty-five student works were installed in varied locations in the Park, and were in place from late June until mid-September. Each featured a student-created illustration and writing on how they valued the Park and that offered their advice on how to be responsible Park users. Each installation featured a QR code that let visitors hear each student reading their own writing.
After the drought of 2021, the cold and wet spring presented the Park with a different set of challenges. Delays in having the water supply turned on made for late planting, while difficulties in getting wood chips delivered delayed the mulching of trails. While the wet weather was beneficial for newly planted trees and shrubs, it also meant that vigorous weed growth kept both staff and volunteers busy. As work could not have been carried out by staff alone, we offer profound thanks to our volunteers.
By August approximately sixty individuals were on the Henteleff Park Foundation’s volunteer list, thirty-five of whom joined us during the summer just past. While most volunteers spent hours weeding invasive species, others, under the guidance of a Volunteer Committee member, maintained the area around the Interpretive Centre. Others, our “Prairie Pals,” focused on the care of the Tall Grass Prairie, a sensitive and fragile ecosystem.
The Henteleff Park Foundation wants to emphasise that much of the care of the Park could not have been carried out without the hands-on support of the community, and we want to offer our heartfelt thanks for their participation, support, sweat, and blisters.
Without the financial support of Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) we would not have been able to hire two summer staff for eight weeks and an additional two staff for twelve weeks. Land Dedication Reserve Funds (LDRF) grants from the City of Winnipeg covered the costs of all trees and shrubs planted and the supplies with which to plant them. We also thank the City for their garbage removal, supplying mulch for the Park trails, and for rough cuts in selected Park areas.
Members of all three levels of government attended and participated in our June Volunteer Tree Planting. We wish once more to thank for their gracious support, encouragement, and advocacy during this year: Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South; Rochelle Squires, Member of the Manitoba Legislature for Riel; and Markus Chambers, City Councillor for the St. Norbert-Seine River Ward.
We also want to particularly thank Sherwood Holdings for their generous support and the Red River Co-op Gas Bar on St. Mary’s Road at Vista Ave. for their kind donation of a gas gift card that allowed us to keep our mowers and trimmers fuelled.
Donations Needed
Henteleff Park Foundation’s mandate is to maintain and restore Henteleff Park as a passive park – a place of beauty, quietude, and reflection – a welcoming space for all wildlife and native plants as well as for human beings.
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.
For this reason, we welcome and gratefully accept personal donations by cheque or through CanadaHelps website or by using this QR Code.
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.”
Henteleff Park Foundation Inc.
1964 St. Mary’s Road
Winnipeg, MB R2N 4G8
Henteleff Park Foundation Board of Directors:
Owen Clune, President / Corinne Caron, Vice-President / Sheila Pursey, Secretary / Marilyn Latta, Treasurer / Ian Keenan, Director / Terri Ashcroft, Director / Karen Ilchena, Director / Doug Drobot, Director / John Borody / Director / Yude Henteleff, President Emeritus
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