CENTRE WELLINGTON – A map marking the locations of local community gardens and other horticultural features in Centre Wellington, is one of numerous events going on for Culture Days.
Brainchild of Kari Olsen, a member of the Fergus Elora Community of Growers, the map shows the location of 19 local food, flower and tree sites.
“People have heard of these places but can’t find them,” Olsen said in an interview. “That’s the reason for the map.”
Olsen and friends Kate Anderson and Sue McPhedran put their brains together to work on the map.
It highlights hiking and biking trails, community gardens, the food forest, the Indigenous gathering circle, and even where to park if taking a trail.
Signs at each site have QR codes that link to the online map and information about the location.
Olsen said she was chatting about Culture Days with township staff at the projects open house last spring and wondered aloud about including horticulture and agriculture in the annual celebration of culture.
“Agriculture and horticulture are part of our culture here,” Olsen said. “I was crossing my fingers they would accept our proposal.”
“As we worked on the project we realized there were so many community planting initiatives largely unknown to the public,” states Anderson in a press release.
Anderson is the project lead for Food Forest Centre Wellington and volunteers for Neighbourwoods. The map highlights just a few of the projects Neighbourwoods is working on locally, including tree planting on the Trestle Bridge Trail and removing invasive buckthorn trees.
McPhedran, co-founder of the Centre Wellington Mobile Market which works to contribute to food security in the community, added several food gardens to the map, including Food Forest Centre Wellington and the Community Garden Network.
“We really want to encourage people to grow their own food; it’s fresher; you plant fruits and vegetables that match your family’s culture and taste preferences; there are fewer trips to the grocery store and it’s better for the planet,” she said in the release, noting there will be a community harvest event at the Food Forest on Sept. 28, where people will be able to pick and press apples, harvest herbs and take home berry plants.
“People want to know about these spaces, especially people new to the area,” Olsen said, adding the map can add new locations as they are developed and will be a good resource year-round.
“For me it’s the missing link between people, organizations and the spaces that already exist.”
An interactive, online version of the map can be found on the Elora Environment Centre website.
Printed versions will be available at various locations in Fergus and Elora, including libraries, tourism offices, the museum, and the sportsplex during Culture Days, which started Sept. 20 and runs to Oct. 13.
