The Belleville Senators and Quinte Conservation will plant 250 trees in Belleville’s Riverside Park on Friday, part of the hockey club’s 2024 “Break-A-Stick, Plant-A-Tree” program.
The Senators pledged to donate and plant a new tree, for every hockey stick broken by a Sens player throughout the season.
Over 72 games in 2023-24, Belleville players snapped close to 250 twigs.
The club’s tree donation is being included as part of a broader Quinte Conservation tree planting initiative, which will see close to 3,000 trees and shrubs planted along the Riverside Park shoreline.
That project is also in cooperation with Molson Coors, Domtar, and Watersheds Canada.
“Environmental stewardship and community support are two pillars of our organization, so to be able to check both of those boxes and help to increase the number of trees and plant life in Riverside Park again, is extremely exciting”, said Belleville Sens and Ottawa Senators COO Erin Crowe. “We’re so thankful to Quinte Conservation for their support of our club and the work they do in protecting our local ecosystems, and we are looking forward to continuing this partnership in seasons to come.”
“Celebrating another successful collaboration with The Belleville Senators with the planting of native trees is exciting,” said Quinte Conservation CAO Brad McNevin. “Beyond the scoreboard, this partnership exemplifies the power of community collaboration in restoring our local green spaces and protecting our waterways. Together, we’ve cultivated a deeper sense of stewardship for our local ecosystems.”
The Senators and Quinte Conservation will be holding a planting event at Riverside Park on Friday, May 31, 2024, between 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Staff from the Senators, Quinte Conservation, and representatives from Belleville City Council will be on hand for the planting event Friday, May 31 between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Riverside Park.
Volunteers are welcome to participate in the tree planting.
Anyone interested can fill out the form here.
Volunteers can meet on the lawn, just north of the parking lot on the Cannifton Road side of Riverside Park, across from CAA Arena.
Anyone participating should pack the following items if they’re able, and depending on how long they’ll be taking part:
- A personal supply of water & food
- Closed-toed shoes (MANDATORY)
- Hat
- Sunscreen & bug spray
- Gloves
- Shovels & Hand Spades
