A Step into Nature - Minden Riverwalk Pollinator Assessment

A Step into Nature - Minden Riverwalk Pollinator Assessment

Caleb Brown

Haliburton County Master Gardeners, Carolyn Langdon

Brendan Hickie

4941

April, 2023

Haliburton County, Minden

Shoreline restoration

The Minden Riverwalk is a two-kilometer walkway located in Minden, Ontario, that was originally composed of solely turfgrass between the paved walkway and shoreline. However, an initiative was taken to plant various native plants, various trees, and set up garden boxes along the path to promote flora biodiversity and mitigate waterfowl nesting in residential areas within Minden. The newly formed ecosystem now serves as a multipurposed natural ‘garden’, providing a beautiful scenery for the local and visiting communities alike, as well as essential food services, shelter, and nesting grounds for a plethora of insects.

The Haliburton County Gardeners initiated a project to assess and catalogue the presence of insects and flora, in order to further understand the biodiversity present along the Riverwalk but also to look at the range of pollinators that were aiding in pollination, as well as other insect and plant interaction that were occurring along the Riverwalk. This information would be compiled for a self-guided audio tour, which would be made public online for the town and any visitors curious about the ecology of the Riverwalk.

Trent University