With sun hats on, a group of about 50 visitors to the səmiq̓wəʔelə/Riverview Lands braved the heat yesterday (Aug. 16) to tour the historic grounds in Coquitlam and learn about the second oldest tree collection in Canada.
But the Riverview Horticultural Centre Society's (RHCS) upcoming September and October tour dates may be the last as the property's operators, BC Housing — a provincial agency responsible for subsidized housing — and KFN Enterprises will be charging the group $825 next year per tour to cover their costs.
RHCS members say they've reached out to politicians about the $510 special-event fee to pay for a weekend event co-ordinator and the $300 bill for administration; however, BC Housing remains firm.
"In the interest of transparency, fairness and equity to other organizations and groups interesting in hosting activities at səmiq̓ʷəʔelə, RHCS will be required to pay all associated special event fees as of January 1, 2024," wrote spokesperson Tanya Melanson in an email to the Tri-City News today (Aug. 17).
"As managers of səmiq̓ʷəʔelə, BC Housing has an obligation to protect the privacy of tenants on-site, ensure public safety is maintained and that the site’s environmental and cultural protocols are adhered to."
Imported trees
Wednesday's two-hour tour, led by Dr. Nancy Furness, an eco-physiologist and volunteer with the Wondrous Tree Fellowship, touched on a few trees around the Serenity Garden that, like many other trees and plants on the 244-acre site, where imported from other temperate zones around the world.
Using a microphone to project her voice, Furness highlighted a London Planetree — a popular Christmas tree pick in Great Britain — as well as Incense Cedar, Nordmann Fir, Persian Walnut, Sequoia, Linden, Maple and Spanish Chestnut trees that were collected more than a century ago by the province’s first botanist, John Davidson.
The Scottish-born scientist gathered about 600 native species from Mount Coquitlam and exchanged them with other botanists around North America, Europe and Asia to create an arboretum at what was later called Essondale Hospital, then səmiq̓wəʔelə/Riverview Lands.
Planted with the help of patients at the mental health institution, the trees thrived under head gardener Jack Renton, who had trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England, and other landscapers.
Now, the səmiq̓wəʔelə/Riverview Lands are "a very, very special place," Furness said, noting the 1,800 trees and 160 species in the "unique ecosystem" are naturally irrigated from the Mundy Park lakes up the hill.
This week's free tree tour was one of five hosted this year by RHCS, a non-profit dedicated to saving the arboretum.
The society has an online petition at Change.org if you wish to join the campaign.
The organization has been offering free tree tours for the past 30 years, according to its website.
Meanwhile, RHCS and the Wondrous Tree Fellowship have lined up Douglas Justice, the associate director for the UBC Botanical Gardens, as the guide for the next tree tour on the səmiq̓wəʔelə/Riverview Lands: Sept. 17 at 1 p.m.
The last RHCS free tree tour for the public is scheduled for Oct. 22, also at 1 p.m.
For more details, you can visit the RHCS website.
