Open Collections

Dorsch, Nina; McBean, Audrey; Pantel, Emma; Phelps, Callie

Urban parks are crucial for the well-being of city-dwellers, but also native pollinators like bees, insects, and other animals. These urban parks can be used recreationally, or as a place of gathering and learning. This is the vision for the redesigned Education Garden at Riley Park. It was planned with a goal of educating park visitors on the Indigenous uses of native plants, and their importance to native pollinators and ecosystems. The garden is currently surrounded by a chain-link fence which does not reflect LMNHS’ desire for a welcoming space. The new garden will provide an attractive, usable, garden space where each plant has potential to be used as an educational tool. The overall goal of this new garden is to enhance the wellbeing of Riley Parks’ surrounding neighbourhoods.LMNHS provided plant lists created by their Indigenous Perspective Lead, Zarah Martz, that were used in the creation of the Community Garden at Riley Park. A list of 67 plants was compiled from these lists and LMNHS’ archival data. Those plants were then evaluated for their suitability to the Education Garden’s environmental conditions: full sun, moist to well-drained soil, medium soil texture (silt loam or sandy loam), and a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. A preference was given towards plants that were native to the local area, important for pollinators, and used by the Indigenous peoples that live on this land: xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish). The final garden perimeter plan was created through personal communications with Zarah Martz, based on an original landscape design made by Frances Ramsay.

Text

University of British Columbia. ENVR 400

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0442123

Science, Faculty of; Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of

Undergraduate

DSpace