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How our project began
Take one grassy meadow, a few dedicated community members, an enthusiastic parks department, and the unbridled energy of several scout troops and what do you get? The Queen's Park meadow restoration project!
Working in partnership with the New Westminster Parks and Recreation Department, Urban Oasis New Westminster is an initiative to restore plant and animal habitat in Queen's Park, New Westminster's largest park. Balancing the creation of plant and animal habitat in city spaces with the building of vibrant, healthy communities are key goals of the project. As stewards, community members have opportunities to work and learn alongside each other designing, planting and maintaining the gardens.
After a co-design session in March 2002, community members decided on a course of action for the meadow: clear out a section of invasive Himalayan blackberry, and create a trail winding through native plants. Work parties, fueled by food from the BBQ, removed blackberry, sheet mulched sections of the meadow, and spread soil and pathways. Scouts, secondary school students, children from a local daycare, and community members planted 15 species of 430 plants in May 2002. The plantings increased the biodiversity of the meadow and include a wet area with skunk cabbage and sword fern, and open meadow planted with shrubs, such as salmonberry, snowberry, and hardhack.
Our strategies for preventing and/or dealing with volunteer burnout
Upcoming Events!
What: Stewardship of the native plants in the meadow!
When: Ongoing
Where: The Queen's Park meadow is located within the park, between Centennial Lodge and McBride Boulevard.
Why: Enjoy spending time in your park! Meet your neighbours! Help to care for native plant habitat!
Who: Everybody can be a steward!
For more information, contact Jenyfer Neumann at Evergreen. Tel. (604) 689-0766 Email jenyfer@evergreen.ca
A special thanks goes to Eva Antonijevic, New Westminster Horticultural Society, New Westminster Parks and Recreation Department, Northwest Passage Outdoor school, Paulus Vrijmoed, Pawel Gradowski, Queen's Park Playschool, Scouts Canada - New Westminster District, Stewardship Team, Van Dusen Master Gardeners and all of the community members and volunteers who participated.
Urban Oasis New Westminster welcomes the participation of local volunteers, whether you have professional expertise to share as a landscape planner, biologist etc., you're an amateur naturalist or gardener, or you simply enjoy spending time in the parks near your home.
For more information about Urban Oasis New Westminster and to find out how you can be involved, please contact Jenyfer Neumann at Evergreen. Tel. (604) 689-0766 Email jenyfer@evergreen.ca
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