PUSLINCH – The County of Wellington officially opened a pollinator garden at the site of a closed landfill in Aberfoyle.
This garden project, led by the solid waste services division, was celebrated at an opening ceremony Wednesday afternoon.
In 2016, the province put forward an action plan to help pollinator species which identified landfills as prime locations for pollinator habitats and food sources.
Solid waste services committee chair Gregg Davidson said this is partly because landfills are mostly government owned and a lot are no longer in use.
The garden features 30 varieties of trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses comprising 1,788 plantings to attract butterflies, moths and bees for pollination and as a food source.
“This is a garden of paradise for the insects and birds right here in Aberfoyle,” Davidson said. “Not a bad look for an old landfill site.”
Warden Kelly Linton joked that he was glad this event wasn’t done over zoom but also stressed the importance of pollinators to agricultural regions like Wellington County.
As pollinator populations drop, Linton said it’s important for the county to take concrete action to support them.
“It’s not just good enough to talk about environmental excellence,” Linton said. “For the county it’s about doing real things that make a real difference and this is an example of that.”
Puslinch mayor James Seeley said the township is fortunate to have this educational garden in his own community.
“I see it as an opportunity to plant a seed with the students in Wellington county that will, hopefully post-COVID, come out to this facility, tour it and educate themselves to the importance of our pollinators,” Seeley said.
Solid waste services manager Das Soligo closed the ceremony on a personal level thinking about the environment he’s leaving behind for his young family.
He said he’s been encouraged by the CAO to expand this to all 17 current and former landfill sites across the county.
“I can’t say enough how proud I am working at the county where these types of projects are possible and to have the support of these kinds of initiatives,” Soligo said.
