VanDusen Botanical Gardens: From Golf Course to Garden

Last Monday I was honoured to be elected a Governor of the VanDusen Botanical Garden Association. The VBGA operates the Gardens in association with the Park Board. It is also responsible for fund-raising and managing all the volunteers. With over 1600 volunteers there is certainly lots to do! I look forward to working with a terrific board to promote and preserve this gem in our city. Below is taken from the Vancouver Park Board website:

Until the mid 1960s this site, owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway, was one of Vancouver's first full-length golf links known as the Old Shaughnessy Golf Course. Destined to become a housing development by the 1970s, a dedicated group of citizens joined forces with the Vancouver Park Board to set aside 55 acres of the site for a botanical garden. This parcel of land also included the still undeveloped land (11 acres) located on the east side of Oak Street just south of Eric Hamber School. Through a unique partnership at the time, funding for the land, then valued at $3 million, was made possible by three contributors: Provincial Government ($1 million); City of Vancouver ($1 million) and W.J. VanDusen ($1 million). Mr. VanDusen's generosity was recognized by naming the garden for him.

This spectacular garden in the heart of Vancouver has matured into a botanical garden of international stature since opening to the public in 1975. The mild Vancouver climate allows the cultivation of an outstanding plant collection which is a delight any time of the year. There are over 7,500 different kinds of plants assembled from six continents.

The garden design features displays of plants in picturesque landscape settings. Specific garden areas are planted to illustrate botanical relationships, such as the Rhododendron Walk, or geographical origins, as in Sino Himalayan Garden. These areas are set amidst rolling lawns, tranquil lakes and dramatic rockwork with vistas of the mountains and Vancouver cityscape.

The VanDusen Botanical Garden is operated by the Vancouver Park Board and the VanDusen Botanical Garden Association.

http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/vandusen/index.htm

a little shameless promotion...

The school I teach at has a terrific film program with an outstanding teacher, Mr. Jonathan Friedrichs. Each year they make films and send them off to contests. They have one some national competitions in the past, with some pretty amazing films. This year they have entered a film in the Work Safe BC contest. The theme of this year's contest is: what motivates you to get home from work safely? 1st place is $2500, 2nd is $1500 and then there is an audience choice award for $500.Please follow the the instructions below and vote to support these terrific kids. Oh, and the film features a familiar face...

"For the Lifeline Student Video Contest Grade 10 Film & TV students at Killarney made a superb video called "Lifeline" starring the talented Mr. Mackinnon. Help them win by voting! Simply Google "WorksafeBC student video contest", then click "Vote Here", and then scroll down to "Lifeline"."

Just one of the many reasons for loving where we live

Over Spring Break my friends and I made a trek half-way up the Lynn Headwaters trail in North Vancouver. This is a fairly easy hike of about 12 km there and back, though we did run into snow and icy trails. Here is a photo taken on the way back down.

photo: Louis Lapprend

There are lots of hikes in the lower mainland for every level of hiker. Getting into the great outdoors is easy. This hike is accessible by public transit.