The City of Surrey received a matching grant of $24,900 to implement a CN EcoConnexions From the Ground Up project. These grants are a part of the CNand Tree Canada initiative that invests in community greening projects across Canada.
The funding will support the planting of 2,500 native trees and shrubs in a linear hedgerow at Mud Bay Park, creating a buffer between a well-used trail and the adjacent active rail line. The project will substantially increase biodiversity and provide wildlife habitat for songbirds, birds of prey and small mammals. The planting will also improve bird watching opportunities and public enjoyment of the park.
“The City of Surrey welcomes the generous support from CN and Tree Canada,” said Mayor Linda Hepner. “The addition of 2500 trees and shrubs will have a tremendous positive effect on Mud Bay Park by improving the natural habitat of wildlife, while enhancing the experience for users of the park.”
The project will kick off with a public tree planting event:
Saturday October 6th 11am – 2pm
Mud Bay Park, 13030 – 48 Avenue, Surrey, BC
This planting event is also part of the City of Surrey’s long-running Releaf community tree planting program. Throughout the month of October, schools, community groups and neighbourhoods will plant thousands of trees and shrubs to improve Surrey’s urban forest. Public drop-in tree planting events will be held in a different park each Saturday in October. For more information, visit our website at www.surrey.ca/parks.
Tree Canada Quote:
“Tree Canada is thrilled to be working with CN to enhance the tree canopies of so many deserving communities across Canada. These trees we plant and nurture are a living legacy that will enrich our country, our communities and our homes for decades to come. These communities greened through CN EcoConnexions will be a lasting testament to CN’s exemplary environmental leadership.”
– Michael Rosen, President of Tree Canada.
CN Quote
“CN remains committed to making a positive impact on the communities along our network, and are proud to be part of a program that helps to make these communities better places to live, work and play. We’re not only helping beautify these communities, we’re positively contributing to a sustainable future one community at a time, as planting trees improves air quality and offsets carbon emissions.”
– Sean Finn, Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services and Chief Legal Officer for CN
About CN
CN is a true backbone of the economy whose team of more than 25,000 railroaders transports more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network of approximately 20,000 route-miles spanning Canada and mid-America. CN – Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries – serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information about CN, visit the company’s website at www.cn.ca
About Tree Canada
Tree Canada is a non-profit charity dedicated to improving the lives of Canadians by planting and nurturing trees. Since 1992, we’ve planted more than 80 million trees, greened more than 600 schoolyards, helped restore places hit by natural disasters and brought together urban forestry experts greening cities all across Canada. Get involved or learn more about us at treecanada.ca.
About CN EcoConnexions From The Ground Up
The CN EcoConnexions From the Ground Up program, sponsored by CN Rail in partnership with Tree Canada, will provide funding of up to $25,000 for the greening of municipal and First Nations properties across Canada, especially in communities along its rail lines. For more information on the program, visit treecanada.ca/cn-ecoconnexions-from-the-ground-up