JulieLyn Anderson, ecology office co-ordinator, holds a rabbit, one of many animals in the arb. Photo by Colton De Gooyer.
BY COLTON DE GOOYER
IN FOCUS REPORTER
Sitting on the top of a hill in the Humber Arboretum, the Centre for Urban Ecology has fur pelts, animal bones and an eco-friendly facility.
Barb Fox, co-ordinator for the centre, said it is a great resource for Humber students.
“In general, for the college students, it’s a fabulous place just to chill out and relax and get away from all the stuff that’s going on in the college. There are 220 acres here that you can walk or hike down by the river. It’s all unique to the city of Toronto and you won’t find this at any other college or university,”said Fox.
However, students like Richard Scott, a second-year business administration student, aren’t aware of what the ecology centre has to offer.
Scott lives in the T residence building only a short walk away from the centre and said that while he has seen it, he has never gone in.
“I thought it was for art,” he said.
The Arboretum is also open for elementary school children.
“We do outdoor educational programs for kids from preschool to Grade 10. Everything from insects, pond life, the ecological footprint and climate change,” said Fox.
“We’ve got probably about 30 some odd programs, curriculum specific to each one of the grades,” said Fox.
Carol Ray, former special projects co-ordinator for the Humber Arboretum said the centre is a good learning tool for Humber students.
Many of the programs offered at Humber work in co-operation with the centre and Ray said funding for the centre was geared towards developing a research facility for a variety of students.
“It relates to a number of different Humber programs like the sustainable energy building technology program, architecture, civil engineering, industrial design and a lot of programs that can use the arboretum as an example or a research centre,” said Ray.
Fox said she has early childhood education students who use the centre to learn to work with children, as well as a business student who does his work-study with her where he learns about how to run a program.
Another unique aspect of the centre is that it is run by the community.
“It’s managed by the city of Toronto, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and Humber College, so it’s a very good example of partners working together for a good community resource,” said Fox.