Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library, Butterflyway Rangers and Mike's Garden Harvest Farm, we will be hosting one last native plant and seed giveaway.  Once you have selected your plants/seeds, check out the yummy organic vegetables at the farm store!  (I'm attaching the poster incase you want to make an event on the website (but not necessary)- you can find more details on the facebook event: 

https://www.facebook.com/share/zELSGKxiQujKbxYE/

Please contact us for meeting location and/or the Zoom link. Visit our Meetings page to see notes from past meetings.

About our meetings

We meet for 1.5 hours the last Wednesday of most months. You are very welcome to attend a meeting to get involved, learn about us, or share your own idea.

Our meetings are usually hybrid. The Zoom link is sent in our newsletter at least one day in advance. We don’t publicly share the address for the in-person location because we meet at our member’s houses. Please contact us to ask for the address.

You’re invited!

If this is your first time joining OSEAN, you should know that we are an enthusiastic and productive group, which is reflected in the pace of our meetings. If you would like an orientation in advance, an OSEAN member would be happy to meet individually with you beforehand (in person or online) to give you an overview of our current projects and answer any questions you might have. Just send us a message to ask to get set up.

In the spring, we offered a Jane’s walk which explored different approaches to re-wild urban residential spaces. This Fall edition will explore the same spaces, showing how they’ve changed over the growing season.

We will begin this tour by visiting the back yard of a home which is in the process of converting the majority of its turf grass into a diverse habitat for pollinators and native wildlife. We will discuss how to get started, the things to do (and not do) in May. We will move to the front yard and discuss the how’s of gardening in the city right-of-way (the city-owned portion of front yards) so that you can maximize that space for native habitat while remaining compliant with the new bylaw rules.

We will then walk around the neighbourhood to showcase the many ways neighbours are changing their yards to be more eco-friendly and resilient to a warming climate. Along the way, we will identify some common invasive species that you may find in your own yard and we'll share how best to remove them. Questions will be welcome throughout the walk.

Drop by our table at the HCAA’s Fall Festival. We’ll have native plant seedlings, kids activities, and information on our other ongoing projects.

For more information about the Fall Festival please visit: https://hunt-club.ca/event/fall-festival-2024/

OSEAN invites you to join this tour being organized by Wild Pollinator Partners.

In late October 2022, the Friends of Riverview Park Green Spaces and a group of volunteers planted over 370 seedlings of 25+ species of sun-loving, mostly native, perennial flowers and grasses in a 6 by 12 metre oval garden. The Riverview Park Pollinator Garden was funded as part of a 2021 Healthy Communities grant from the federal government. It’s located on City of Ottawa land that our community association stewards near the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the Ottawa Hospital – General campus.

Seeds came from the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library, the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, and some local volunteers and were mostly started under lights.

We were amazed at how well the plants came through their first winter and how full the garden was, even in its first year. Lots of pollinators visited flowers blooming from June through October, and birds visited seed heads in the fall.

At this tour, learn about the challenges of planting a garden on City land, the various permissions required, and the timeline. Read our blog post about the project. 

This monthly meeting is open to all who are interested in learning more about the OSEAN and our projects. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with members of the organization, learn about our work, and join in the discussion about our upcoming projects in Ottawa South.

Please contact us for meeting location and/or the Zoom link. Visit our Meetings page to see notes from past meetings.

We hope to see you there!

This monthly meeting is open to all who are interested in learning more about the OSEAN and our projects. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with members of the organization, learn about our work, and join in the discussion about our upcoming projects in Ottawa South.

Please contact us for meeting location and/or the Zoom link. Visit our Meetings page to see notes from past meetings.

We hope to see you there!

This May, OSEAN is giving away a limited number of Pollinator Patch kits to selected residents of Alta Vista, Gloucester-Southgate, and River Wards. Visit our Pollinator Patch page for more information.

If you were selected to receive a kit, you will receive the location and additional details by email. Please contact us if you have any questions.

This May, OSEAN is giving away a limited number of Pollinator Patch kits to selected residents of Alta Vista, Gloucester-Southgate, and River Wards. Visit our Pollinator Patch page for more information.

If you were selected to receive a kit, you will receive the location and additional details by email. Please contact us if you have any questions.

We invite Ottawa residents to join us on a walk exploring different approaches we can use to re-wild urban residential spaces using examples of residential yards in Riverside Park South.

We will begin this tour by visiting the back yard of a home which is in the process of converting the majority of its turf grass into a diverse habitat for pollinators and native wildlife. We will discuss how to get started, the things to do (and not do) in May. We will move to the front yard and discuss the how’s of gardening in the city right-of-way (the city-owned portion of front yards) so that you can maximize that space for native habitat while remaining compliant with the new bylaw rules.

We will then walk around the neighbourhood to showcase the many ways neighbours are changing their yards to be more eco-friendly and resilient to a warming climate. Along the way, we will identify some common invasive species that you may find in your own yard and we'll share how best to remove them. Questions will be welcome throughout the walk.

Registration has closed due to high demand

Join us for an enlightening guided walk around the Sawmill Creek Stormwater Management Pond in Ottawa South. The tour will be led by City of Ottawa staff from the Stormwater Management Unit and the Climate Change and Resiliency Unit. This tour offers a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of urban nature, community, and environmental stewardship.

• Date: Saturday, May 4, 2024

• Time: 11am-12:30pm

• Meeting Point: South Keys Transitway Station entrance (between the Walmart and Cineplex)

Accessibility: tour involves a 1.5km walk on level ground

Discover natural parkland: Learn how the pond functions both as natural parkland and a key piece of stormwater infrastructure, as it supports community recreation and fostering connections to nature, while at the same time filtering and cleaning stormwater. Unlike conventional city parks, the wetlands offer a unique ecosystem that benefits both people and wildlife.

Learn how homeowners can help with stormwater management: Explore how property owners can positively impact stormwater management. Discover practical takeaways for retrofitting green infrastructure on your property with the help of the City’s Rain Ready Ottawa program, contributing to cleaner and healthier waterways in Ottawa.

Come prepared to explore our hidden local wetlands, gain insights, and leave with actionable steps to make a difference in your own community. Let’s celebrate nature and sustainability together! 

This walk is being organized in partnership with Better South Keys Centre.

Location of the pond

Map of the pond

This monthly meeting is open to all who are interested in learning more about the OSEAN and our projects. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with members of the organization, learn about our work, and join in the discussion about our upcoming projects in Ottawa South.

Please contact us for meeting location and/or the Zoom link. Visit our Meetings page to see notes from past meetings.

We hope to see you there!

Come to learn hand mending techniques from local volunteers

or

Come to volunteer, and share your knowledge of hand mending. Volunteers with a wide range of abilities are welcome!

To register as a participant or a volunteer please e-mail kitty@dube.com

We’re pleased to participate again this year in Councillor Riley Brockington’s annual community event at the Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre.

Come find our table for:

• Free native seed giveaway

• Learning about worm composting (vermiculture)

• Drop off socks for recycling

• Kids activities

• Enter to win a vermiculture worm box!

Stick around for:

• Free vegetable seedlings and sowing for kids – Four Our Kids Ottawa/Gatineau

• Bicycle tune ups from Bike Ottawa

• Knife, scissor, and garden tool sharpening from JC Sharpening

• Guided Nature walk through McCarthy Woods with Owen Clarkin at 1 p.m.

• E-waste disposal from Junk that Funk (available 10-4 behind the Metro)

• OSEAN Mending Clinic! New to mending? Bring your torn garments and learn how to repair them. Already experienced? come as a volunteer to share your knowledge. 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM.

This monthly meeting is open to all who are interested in learning more about the OSEAN and our projects. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with members of the organization, learn about our work, and join in the discussion about our upcoming projects in Ottawa South.

Please contact us for meeting location and/or the Zoom link. Visit our Meetings page to see notes from past meetings.

We hope to see you there!

This monthly meeting is open to all who are interested in learning more about the OSEAN and our projects. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with members of the organization, learn about our work, and join in the discussion about our upcoming projects in Ottawa South.

Please contact us for meeting location and/or the Zoom link. Visit our Meetings page to see notes from past meetings.

We hope to see you there!

Join us for our 2024 open house. We’re passionate about creating a sustainable future, and we invite you to be part of our community-driven movement.

What to Expect:

1. Learn about our projects: Learn about our local initiatives supporting pollinator plants, food waste diversion, invasive species removal, eco-advocacy, cloth diapering, and more.

2. Meet Our Volunteers: Connect with passionate environmental advocates who are making a difference in our community. Share your own ideas for how to green Ottawa South and learn how you can get involved with OSEAN.

3. Kids’ Corner: Bring the little ones! We will have crafts and activity sheets for the youngest eco-advocates.

Please RSVP below

RSVP

This monthly meeting is open to all who are interested in learning more about the OSEAN and our projects. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with members of the organization, learn about our work, and join in the discussion about our upcoming projects in Ottawa South.

Please contact us for meeting location and/or the Zoom link. Visit our Meetings page to see notes from past meetings.

We hope to see you there!

Join us on Saturday November 11 as we co-host a seed giveaway with Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library from 1- 2:30 at the Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre. Get free seeds, come purchase yard signs and meet others who are committed to improving biodiversity for our planet and pollinators

There will be tons of native plant species available that will help you create an oasis of food and habitat for our local pollinators (bees, butterflies, birds etc). These plants have been selected as being native to Ottawa, and thus are best suited for our creatures.

We encourage you to look at the seed catalogue first to determine which plants would do best in your yard conditions (Shade, Sun, Wet, Dry), there are plants suited for every condition. https://wildflowerseedlibrary.ca/catalogue-%26-instructions

This monthly meeting is open to all who are interested in learning more about the OSEAN and our projects. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with members of the organization, learn about our work, and join in the discussion about our upcoming projects in Ottawa South.

Please contact us for meeting location and/or the Zoom link. Visit our Meetings page to see notes from past meetings.

We hope to see you there!

Drop by our table at the HCAA’s Fall Festival. We’ll have native plant seedlings, kids activities, and information on our other ongoing projects.

For more information about the Fall Festival please visit: https://hunt-club.ca/event/fall-festival-2023/