It’s a Fact BCP has engaged over 36,000 volunteers and 44 community groups in environmental education in Toronto. Recognizing the importance of long-term environmental commitment, BCP now educates partners on how to establish environmental programs on their own.

Over the years, the BCP evolved from a small group of individuals fighting to save wetlands and woodlots to an organization dedicated to building environmental knowledge, understanding, involvement, skills and partnerships in the Black Creek community. For the past two years, the BCP has operated the Black Creek Coalition Program.

After a remarkably long run, the BCP identified that the long-term health of the creek depended upon passing the torch to the community. The Black Creek Coalition Program is the culmination of a five year effort to establish knowledgeable, capable, and independent partners to address creek issues. These partners enhance the work of the BCP and will ultimately carry out their work long after the organization is gone.

Beginning with a manageable group of partners (schools and community groups) the BCP gave weekly commitments, 10 months of the year, to each of the partners. After completing dozens of nature walks, clean-up events, tree plantings, wildflower and aquatics plantings and erosion control projects, the BCP partners were finally ready to develop unique programs of their own.

Some highlights of BCP partner accomplishments include:

• Shoreham Public School set up their own monthly clean-up schedule for the lands above the creek; became certified as an ecoschool by the Clean Air Partnership; received funding for a school-yard naturalization project; and assisted the BCP with dozens of planting projects, walking tours and learning tours of the creek.
• Archbishop Romero High School had a number of teachers add Black Creek activities to the curriculum including native tree care, seed collection, water quality testing, trail construction and herbaceous plant care.
• Doorsteps Neighbourhood Services and the Hispanic Development Council integrated Black Creek activities into their new Canadian activities programming and are actively involved in working on Black Creek issues, including wildflower garden site planning and public outreach.