It’s that time of year again when Canton is showing off all its finest greenery. It takes the work of a committed team from the Canton Parks Department and a slew of volunteer organizations to show off our community’s natural beauty every year.
“We have 16 full-time workers and add around 25 seasonal workers during the warmer months," says Abe Vinitski, Canton Parks and Sports Supervisor. “We really work for the residents to provide safe, inclusive and—many times—free accessible spaces that people can recreate in, get some physical activity and enjoy clean, outdoor areas.”
The Parks Department takes care of all the parks and township outdoor spaces, including the trail, green space throughout the township, some connector spaces and natural spaces. Basically, anything that is outside falls under their purview. The department’s shift in recent years has been to be more natural and native wherever possible. For instance, they have leaned into creating pollinator gardens throughout Canton.
“The staff really grabbed hold of the whole idea of being more environmental and more sustainable,” says Abe. “We are looking at adding a pollinator space at Pheasant Run Golf Course. My group is so excited about this. They actually approach the volunteer groups and ask me, ‘What about adding a space here or here?’ They’re out doing maintenance and see areas that could maybe become more natural. When ideas like this start growing within the maintenance group, that’s a positive sign it’s catching on.”
His team's passion for nature and outdoor spaces makes working with volunteer organizations that share this passion a natural fit.
“We really try to support that and it becomes a partnership that we can provide some of the heavy lifting,” Abe explains. “And they can provide a bunch of volunteers and ownership of a space.”
One of those volunteer groups is the newly formed Nature Society. “That’s a new partnership,” says Abe. “That group’s going to focus on our new natural area out west of town and really grab a hold and own that.”
Even the choice of flowers in Canton’s public spaces has evolved to be more environmentally and economically sound.
“We got out of the annual flower business many years ago for a lot of environmental reasons. Now we go with a lot of perennials,” shares Abe. “If you do the right selection of perennials and have the right timing of the plants, you get your spring flush, you’ll get your midsummer one and then in fall if you just do a little research on the plants.”
Last year, the Parks Department planted over 500 trees, thanks to a matching fund grant they received. Some of them replaced those lost when a tornado went through town a couple of years ago. The rest were scattered all around the township as needed. All of them were trees native to the area. There’s also a plan to hopefully develop an orchard in the near future.
“Ultimately, our goal is to have great natural spaces,” concludes Abe. “It’s really about cultivating ideas from within our group, with other departments and volunteer organizations. We’re a great support and a great resource. The passion lies in the people who really live this stuff.”
In this sometimes-divided world, it’s great to see so much collaboration among all of Canton’s greenskeepers. The results are as tangible as they are beautiful. So, get out there and enjoy our green spaces this summer!
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