Whats Happening in the Agrihood?
Catstream Wetland Workparty
350 Trees and shrubs have been planted in the Catstream since 2023.
This workparty is to ensure these plants are well protected from Beavers by securing fencing around them. Mulching is neccessary to decrease weed pressure, and to increase water retention.
We will mulch the trails as well to ensure we can access our restoration area throughout the year.
When : May 23th, 2026, 10:00am-2:00pm
What: Mulching Pathways, fencing around trees, cutting back blackberry,(tools provided).
Who: by the SEED Neighborhood Cooperative https://www.seedncoop.online/ and open to the public.
Where : Below Robins field between 5th and 6th, off of Park. Street Side parking on Park Ave or at Robins Park Ball Fields
—> https://maps.app.goo.gl/xXE2gkxvaKuTWgx47
Bring:
b)your favourite Work Tools but tools will be provided
c) food to share
d) musical instruments to serenade the gathering/work Party
e) Work clothes boots.
EARTH DAY APRIL 18th
April 18th 2026 10am–5pm BingKee Food Forest | This Earth Day we are celebrating the inauguration of the Rail Trail that connects from 7th street all the way to Hecate. This sustainability initiative was headed by the Island Corridor Foundation and the City of Nanaimo, in partnership with the SEED Neighborhood Cooperative.
Catstream Workparty
We have a ton of plants to dig into the wetland area of Catstream below Robins Park as part of a Pacific Salmon Foundation Restoration Project. This is part of an ongoing land care project let by SEED Neighborhood coop (Seedncoop.online) and supported by City of Nanaimo.
When : March 22nd, 2026, 10:00am-2:00pm
What: Planting a wide variety of plants, Mulching Pathways, cutting back blackberry,(tools provided)
Schedule:
10am — 12:30pm Social/Workparty 10am-12:30pm
12:30pm — 1:00pm Potluck Lunch
1:00pm— 2:00pm Social/Workparty
Who: hosted aby the SEED Neighborhood Cooperative https://www.seedncoop.online/ and open to the public.
Where :
Below Robins field between 5th and 6th, off of Park. Street Side parking on Park Ave or at Robins Park Ball Fields
—> https://maps.app.goo.gl/xXE2gkxvaKuTWgx47
Bring:
b)your favourite Work Tools but tools will be provided
c) food to share
d) musical instruments to serenade the gathering/work Party
e) Work clothes boots.
Pruning Work Party March 14th
Saturday March 14th - Work Shop and Work Party
A)Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop,
When? 10:00am-11:00am
Where? meet at Bing Kee Food Forest
Who? Blaise Barre will be hosting the workshop (certified Horticulturist and Arborist)
Bring: Hand pruners, loppers, hand saws, gardening gloves and a notebook.
What: workshop will cover basic plant health considerations, basic pruning skills, and proper use and maintenance of tools.
B) Food Forest aWork Party:
When? 11:00am-1:00pm
Where? 1. Bayview then 2. Bing Kee and then 3. Thu-thi-qut food forest. If you don't see us at one, look for us at another Food Forest.
Who? SEED neighbours, and friends of the SEED Neighbor hood
What : Our Public Food Forest Trees will be pruned starting at Bayview Food Forest, then Bing Kee, then Thu-thi-qut (north end of Columbia Street). If you don't see us in one forest, check out the other ones! Our fruit tree assortment includes: apple, pear, plum, cherry, persimmon, walnut, hazelnut, Italian Pinenut, Peaches, nectarines, asian pear, crab apple, fig, serviceberry, and Chestnut.
Soil will get mulched and some plants repositioned.
Bring: pruners, loppers, hand saws, wheelbarrows and hay forks. There will be lots of tools provided if you don't have them yourself.
Bring a snack to share.
Catstream Work Party #2 Feb 28th
We have a ton of plants to dig into the wetland area of Catstream below Robins Park as part of a Pacific Salmon Foundation Restoration Project. This is part of an ongoing land care project led by SEED Neighborhood coop (Seedncoop.online) and supported by City of Nanaimo.
When : Saturday Feb 21st 10:00am — 2pm
Saturday Feb 28th, 10:00-2:00pm
What:
1. Clearing Invasive Reed Canary Grass for planting area
2. Planting a wide variety of plants (trees, shrubs)
2. mulching pathways,
3. cutting back blackberry
Schedule:
10am — 12:30pm Social/Workparty 10am-12:30pm
12:30pm — 1:00pm Potluck Lunch
1:00pm— 2:00pm Social/Workparty
Who: by the SEED Neighborhood Cooperative https://www.seedncoop.online/ and open to the public.
Where :
Below Robins field between 5th and 6th, off of Park. Street Side parking on Park Ave or at Robins Park Ball Fields
—> https://maps.app.goo.gl/xXE2gkxvaKuTWgx47
Bring:
b)your favourite Work Tools but tools will be provided
c) food to share
d) musical instruments to the gathering/work Party
e) Work clothes/ boots.
f) chair to sit on
Catstream Work Party/Social
We have a ton of plants to dig into the wetland area of Catstream below Robins Park as part of a Pacific Salmon Foundation Restoration Project. This is part of an ongoing land care project let by SEED Neighborhood coop (Seedncoop.online) and supported by City of Nanaimo.
When : Saturday Feb 21st 10:00am — 2pm
Saturday Feb 28th, 10:00-2:00pm
What:
1. Planting a wide vairety of plants, Mulching Pathways, cutting back blackberry,(tools provided)
3. Bring food for snacks throughout the day and for lunchtime potluck
3. your favorite Work Tools but tools will be provided
Schedule:
10am — 12:30pm Social/Workparty 10am-12:30pm
12:30pm — 1:00pm Potluck Lunch
1:00pm— 2:00pm Social/Workparty
Who: by the SEED Neighborhood Cooperative https://www.seedncoop.online/ and open to the public.
Where :
Below Robins field between 5th and 6th, off of Park. Street Side parking on Park Ave or at Robins Park Ball Fields
—> https://maps.app.goo.gl/xXE2gkxvaKuTWgx47
Bring:
b)your favourite Work Tools but tools will be provided
c) food to share
d) musical instruments to serenade the gathering/work Party
e) Work clothes boots.
VIEW STREET Park Workparty/Social/Info gathering
View Street Park
WORK PARTY, SOCIAL
& Info Gathering
SUNDAY, Feb 15th, 2026
12.30pm—3:30pm
Why: Last weekend, neighbours and friends of neighbours came out in full force and accomplished much work in revitalising View Street Park. 30 Volunteers came out to remove invasives and garbage. We need one more push to get this space into decent shape. This Feb 15th, we will complete the invasive removal and cart out more garbage that is littering the site. Come Late February early March there will be a meeting with city staff to begin the planning phase of developing this space into its future self!
Bring : Work gloves and tools are provided. But bring your own if you are so inclined. Good tools: Wheelbarrows, Pruners, lopers, Rakes, Pick axes.
Where:
VIEW STREET PARK ,
38 View Street
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Gig2yz8oF93Yk9zN6
AGM SEED & Potluck in Princess Street Forest Sanctuary!
COME VOTE for the SEED BOARD 2025/2026!
Please come to the Princess Street Forest Sanctuary November 2, 2pm — 4pm.
SPREAD THE WORD!
Check in with your neighbours if they are coming and bring them along!
Summer's End Social Oct 5, 2025
Come join the
S.E.E.D. Summer's End Social!
Sunday, October 5th, 2025
3pm—7pm
6pm: Lantern Procession
In the Princess Street Forest Sanctuaryat End of Princess Street
FUN ACTIVITIES:
– a Vegetable Contest
– Apple Cider Pressing
– Hot Apple Cider on the Stove
– Campfire
– Printmaking
– Mask making
– Lantern making & Procession
– Delicious Potluck Dishes
Rivers Day Celebration in the Catstream
Join us for the Rivers Day Celebration on the Catstream to honour our mighty little waterway that continues to inspire our care for our precious waters and all their creatures.
When: Saturday Sept 20th 10:00am — 6pm
What:
1. Social, bring your kids to explore and play in the area
2. Lend a hand mulching Pathways, cutting blackberry, planting trees(tools provided)
3. Bring food for snacks throughout the day and for lunchtime potluck
4. Sing-a-long with Sylvia Humble and April Laurie (by donation)
EARTH DAY in the S.E.E.D.
EARTH DAY in the S.E.E.D. on APRIL 26, 2025 | We want to celebrate Earth Day with you, whether you live in the S.E.E.D. or in another neighborhood! We have all sorts of fun and meaningful activities planned for all community members, including children.
Hosted by the SEED neighbourhood Cooperative.
Nanaimo Forest School Spring Break Camp in the SEED
Nanaimo Forest School Coop is offering a Spring Break Program for children age 3–12 in the SEED Neighbourhood Ecosystem, offering reduced rates of 30% for kids who live in the neighbourhood or go to Bayview School. You can find details and a link to registration here:
https://www.nanaimoforestschool.com/summer-programs
Places that will be enlivened and explored by children during the Spring Break are:
the Catstream Watershed with its forest, stream and wetland,
as well as plunge deep within Chase River Canyon where one hardly notices the city scape surrounds.
the Princess St. Forest Classroom which has transformed from a blackberry thicket into a thriving pocket forest for easy access nature connection.
Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop & Food Forest Work Parties
Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop | 10–11am
Horticulurist and Arborist Blaise Barré from Yeomen Tree Service Cooperative will share his knowledge on basic plant health considerations, pruning, and the proper use & maintenance of tools.
Food Forest Work Party | 11am—2:30pm
Our Public Food Forest Trees will be pruned starting at Bayview Food Forest, then Bing Kee, then Thu-thi-qut (north end of Columbia Street). If you don't see us in one forest, check out the other ones! We‘ll prune trees, mulch the soil and reposition some plants. If you don‘t see us in one forest, check out the other ones – they are nearby.
Back Yard Warming- Brunchfest!!
After 2 years of living in SEED and building a backyard, Adrian, Ivor, Thor and Sasha are ready to have a Backyard warming!
150 Columbia :) Welcome to all the SEEDY community
Come and check it out, bring something Brunchy to share.
See you there!
Indigenous Peoples Day Work Party
Last year many neighbors helped celebrate Aboriginal day with Bayview school Students in the food forests, gardens and in the Catstream. This year we will be doing the same.
Where: meet in the Catstream at Park Avenue and below the ball fields where there is a pathway entering the stream
email seedNCoop@gmail.com if you would like to help out.
Food Forest Work Party
SEED Neighborhood food forests are coming into their 6, 5, and 4th years of production and we will see alot of fruit this year! We will be doing a good weeding and mulching of the space, as well as getting the irrigation systems up and running and planting out some more perennials.
Please join us to keep these special spaces beautiful and productive.
Where: We will move from Thuthiqut Food Forest, then to Bayview Food Forest and finally to Bing Kee, so if we are not at one, we'll be at one of the other two. They are close by, so no sweat in finding us!
We will start at
a). Thuthiqut Food Forest which at the North End cul-de-sac of Columbia Street https://maps.app.goo.gl/nq5gWiJnPPQSWeDg7
b). Next we will stop off at Bayview Food Forest is behind Bayview School
c). Bing Kee Food Forest https://maps.app.goo.gl/ysg6yuXx4w6h4dpp6
Tools, gloves, music, will be provided.
Bring: Snack to Share (Gluten Free if possible)
your favorite tool if you have one
pair of gloves
Princess Street Forest Classroom Work Party
Students from Nanaimo Forest School will be completing their Spring Semester by helping establish a forest classroom at the south end of Princess St.
Come support these students and the land by lending a hand, sharing some food, or simply stopping by and cheering them on as they learning through action how to give back to the land, and making it possible for more children to enjoy the wonder of nature!
Tools and music will be provided.
Flood prevention - Ditch Digging Workparty
Many houses in our neighborhood are prone to flooding due to intense rain events, below grade basements, and inadequate drainage infrastructure. Several attempts to have city workers come out and address the problem have yielded marginal results because the railway ditching is one of the major culprits for flooding. 2020 we organized a ditching work party to clear out clogged areas of the railway ditch that drains a part of our neighborhood into the Catstream. We are going to meet again to clear it out some more.
Where: North end of Columbia Street at Thuthiqut Food Forest
When: Saturday Nov 18th, 12:00pm-3:00pm
What: clearing out a ditch from Blackberries, and any other obstructions.Possibly planting trees to keep the ditch shaded and free from blackberry thickets.
Bring: Workclothes, gumboots, Tools will be provided. If anyone would like to provide us with a tasty snack, we welcome that too!
Stop by along the tracks to offer your encouragement! We welcome your support.
S.E.E.D Annual General Meeting
More updates to follow soon. We will post the Agenda and additional supporting documents for the AGM here..
Catstream Restoration Work Party Sunday October 22nd
Catstream workparty: SUNDAY October 22nd 11:30am-2:30pm. Momentum continues on restoring the Catream. the rainy season has come. Time to plant trees! But remove blackberry first. As a recap, our team did awesome in keeping all the planted trees alive over the summer, y watering them diligently. Thank you.
Where HERE or (see map below -yellow star). below wetland at Robbins Park on Park Avenue at trail entrance. near wooden bridge. Come by bike, walk, or car. Parking at Robbins field or park on road side of Park Avenue.
What: We’ll be clearing out a bunch of blackberry and possible replanting some native plants like Alder
What: We’ll be clearing out a bunch of black berry and possible replanting some native plants like Alder
Gloves and tools provided, but bring your own if you'd like.
Bring : Bring snack to share. Water, clothes that don’t catch easy on Blackberry
Bing Kee Food Forest Work Party
Bing Kee Food Forest Work Party Saturday September 23rd, 2pm-5pm
Hey folks, a bit last minute, We want to spruce up Bing Kee Food Forest for the Summers End Social for our neighborhood. We’ll be doing a wee bit of weed management, and mulching as well as some sign making. Please come out and join us or if you want to feed our crew, make us some tasty snacks
We will have all the tools provided.
Who: Neighbors, anybody who likes to support us
what: Bing Kee Food Forest Work Party. Pulling weeds, mulching, sign painting
where: Bing Kee Food Forest https://maps.app.goo.gl/M1o5ioMTmLtGUqE79
When: Saturday September 23rd 2pm-5 pm
Bring: weather approriate clothes, a snack to share (optional), clothes to paint in if that is what you want to do.
Weekly Tuesday Night Neighbor Social at Bayview School Field | 6pm (June 6th onward)
Every Tuesday evening neighbors are invited to gather for a hangout and picnic & play, whatever you feel like. Most importantly just bring yourself as you are :) Hangout spot: Bayview Playfield –
* bring a chair, a blanket, food and / or a neighbor or just yourself :)
Castream Work Party Saturday May27
It’s time for another Work Party in the Catstream! Socializing with your neighbors while planting trees :)
Catstream Restoration Work Party
Catstream workparty: Saturday May 6th 10:30am-2:00pm
Earth Day lit a fire under our butts to get working in the Catstream! Earthday saw volunteers remove a huge swath of Blackberries , and May 6th will see more of that thicket removed. We will attempt to replant the area with some Alders (we will have a bucket for walkers to water them over the summer!).
Where HERE or (see map below -yellow star). below wetland at Robbins Park on Park Avenue at trail entrance. near wooden bridge. Come by bike, walk, or car. Parking at Robbins field or park on road side of Park Avenue.
What: We’ll be clearing out a bunch of black berry and possible replanting some native plants like Alder
Gloves and tools provided, but bring your own if you'd like.
Bring snack to share.
EARTH DAY in the S.E.E.D.
EARTH DAY in the S.E.E.D. on APRIL 22, 2023 | We want to celebrate Earth Day with you, whether you live in the S.E.E.D. or in another neighborhood! We have all sorts of fun and meaningful activities planned for all community members, including children. Our event grounds cover a school field and playground, a closed off city street, various neighbours' front yards, and a part of the Catstream forest.
Main celebration area:
Playfield of Bayview Elementary School, Nanaimo
*South End Ecological Development | Nanaimo
Oh SNAP Market!
Come out and see what the community is offering! Every Saturday we have a little market here. What to pitch in or offer something? Contact the OH SNAP house :)
Current offerings
Wide variety of happy and healthy veggie starts.
2 boys baking- offering whatever they feel like making that day :)
Moonlight Mending - bring your clothes that are in need of repair.
Bees wax candles and other amazing, creative and upcycled creations by Mandy of Revived Vintage Home.
Oh SNAP Market!
Come out and see what the community is offering! Every Saturday we have a little market here. What to pitch in or offer something? Contact the OH SNAP house :)
Current offerings
Wide variety of happy and healthy veggie starts.
2 boys baking- offering whatever they feel like making that day :)
Moonlight Mending - bring your clothes that are in need of repair.
Bees wax candles and other amazing, creative and upcycled creations by Mandy of Revived Vintage Home.
Work Party! Bayview Food Forest
We will be installing a 200 foot garden bed along the fence line at Bayview Elementary to optimize annual vegetable production. Woot Woot!
Other maintenance tasks such as weeding and mulching will happen too. Strong arms and tiny hands needed at all work parties, so feel free to bring the whole family.
Circular saws and power drills needed, please bring them if you have any. All other tools will be provided. Please RSVP if you know that you can make it!
Thanks a bunch Folks;)
Oh SNAP Market!
Come out and see what the community is offering! Every Saturday we have a little market here. What to pitch in or offer something? Contact the OH SNAP house :)
Current offerings
Wide variety of happy and healthy veggie starts.
2 boys baking- offering whatever they feel like making that day :)
Moonlight Mending - bring your clothes that are in need of repair.
Bees wax candles and other amazing, creative and upcycled creations by Mandy of Revived Vintage Home.
Share your skill!
Know how to garden? Build? Make a mean jelly? Teach something? Play the guitar? Sing? Dance? We are all resources for each other :)