Friends of the Roxborough Greenbelt
What is the Roxborough Greenbelt?
The Roxborough Greenbelt is 3 hectares of greenspace bordered by Kingsmount Blvd. and Riverside Dr., and running from Winchester Dr. to Junction Creek (in Sudbury, Ontario). It is a healthy successional forest of birch, poplar and maple on the east end, and poplar, alder and willow on the west end. Many wildlife live in and use this habitat. People of all ages walk, play and connect to nature. About 400m of foot trails are well used year-round.
The Story
This land was privately owned and slated for development. Developing these lots would have involved extensive blasting and alteration of the landscape. Very few trees would have been spared.
Treasured as a local greenspace, providing valuable habitat, and protecting the health of Junction Creek, the Roxborough Greenbelt was too important to lose. The neighbourhood organized to save it.
After a three year community effort, including raising $50,000, the Roxborough Greenbelt became protected as a natural park, in March 2009.
Join us
The Roxborough Greenbelt is a beloved natural park and gathering space.
Do you live in the neighbourhood? Join us in stewardship activities, and in neighbourhood activities. Easter egg hunts, spooky Hallowe’en walks, and removing invasive species from along the creek are some of our regular activities.
To receive e-mail notices, contact Naomi at grant_naomi [at] hotmail.com.
You can also follow the neighbourhood Facebook page.
BioBlitz
See the results of out mini bio-blitz July 7, 2024. We made 160 observations, listing 109 species. We were most focused on plants, and we found 86 plant species, including 16 types of trees (like birch, maple, and aspen), 17 types of shrubs (like hazelnut, pin & chokecherry, elder, mountain ash, and dogwood), 43 types of herbaceous plants (like goldenrod, joe-pye weed, mayflower, and bunchberry), and 8 types of ferns & allies. You can see all the species observed during the bioblitz here.
You can see or add to the observations made in the Roxborough Greenbelt any time on i-naturalist.
Garden sharing
Interested in yard sharing for gardening? Do you love to garden, but have no garden space? Do you have garden space but no time for gardening? If you might be interested in sharing neighbourhood garden space, sign up here.
Keep our neighbourhood green
Don’t kill the buzz. Avoid spraying for mosquitoes – mosquito spray services kill all adult insects including bees and other pollinators, can run off to Junction Creek or Ramsey Lake where they are very toxic to aquatic life, and are toxic to cats. Find out more here. And check out some easy & safe DIY solutions for your yard here.
Say no to artificial turf. Artificial turf contains PFAS and dozens of other toxic chemicals that expose our kids and run off into our waterways along with microplastics. Artificial turf is an impermeable surface that increases flooding risks and makes hot days hotter. Soil and natural planted areas support biodiversity, and make our neighbourhood healthier, cooler in summer & more climate resilient during heat waves and heavy rains. Find a simple fact sheet here.
