Welland Legacy Park and Community Orchard 2018 Program Summary

Welland Legacy Park & Community Orchard 2018 Program Summary

To: John Rosenberg, Director of Engineering and Parks, Town of View Royal From: Julia Ford, Orchard Coordinator, Lifecycles Project Society

This year the focus at the orchard shifted to pest management and deepening engagement with the Tree Care Apprentice program that was launched in 2017. Behind the scenes, we’ve been working on program development, with a special focus on our partnership with LifeCycles’ Growing Schools project. We’ve also worked to evaluate and refine our program model, so that it can best support this unique and wonderful park.

Orchard Care & Site Maintenance

“[I get to] engage socially with others from our neighborhood and from our broader community with [a] common interest in healthy, sustainable, local food production” View Royal volunteer

“I love the peaceful atmosphere of the orchard… It feels important.” volunteer

In 2018, over 110 volunteers donated 745 hours of their time to care for the Welland Community Orchard, which equals $11,175 in value (at $15/h). This amazing community of volunteers and visitors, combined with funding from View Royal, have allowed us to keep the orchard in good health. This year we were able to:

• graft 30 new fruit trees in our Heritage Apple Nursery. We also sold our first 30 apple trees in 2018 to View Royal & regional residents!
• prune, feed and otherwise care for over 250 fruit trees & vines in the orchard & nursery
• implement a regular holistic orchard fertility program
• mulch all trees and planted areas in the orchard to conserve water and build soil fertility
• pursue some elements of an Integrated Pest Management approach to deal with pest populations

Additional funding from View Royal, support from Parks staff and engagement with some key groups has also allowed us to:

• complete the drainage of the pathway, making it safe and secure even during heavy rain events
• create interpretive signs for key features of the orchard so casual visitors can more easily engage with and learn from the site
• work with Communications students at Royal Roads University to develop plans for our interpretive room that will allow us to leverage funding in the future
• assess and upgrade our Integrated Pest Management approaches to address some serious pest pressures

Education & Community Engagement

“The hands on experience was super valuable as I don't know where else I could have had that.” from Tree Care Apprentice survey.

Through programming, we are providing unique opportunities for people to connect to the site, learn new skills and engage in the spirit of stewardship. What participants experience in the orchard is spread to the greater community, helping to weave a tapestry of local abundance. In total, this year we held 28 volunteer-focused events and provided an additional 14 educational opportunities through workshops, school visits and tours.

This year we:

• increased the impact of our Tree Care Apprentice program. We tripled the number of participants over the season, and these dedicated volunteers donated 180 hours of skilled orchard care. Through this program we’ve seen definite positive impacts on the condition of the heritage apple nursery, and the number of pest management interventions.
• provided public, seasonal workshops on key topics related to backyard fruit tree care. We delivered 4 workshops this year, with a focus on: winter pruning, spring grafting, summer pruning and native pollinators. We’re working to elevate these workshops to a regionally-recognized standard, while also pursuing a financially sustainable approach.
• received rave reviews from school groups visiting our orchard. Through collaboration with our Growing Schools program we were able to provide curriculum-linked workshops for students, in addition to our standard offerings. We hosted schools from both near and far, including Strawberry Vale Elementary, St. Margaret’s and the Songhees Academic Youth Leadership program.
• worked with community groups and local businesses to create unique staff and client experiences. Through tours and customized work parties we engaged groups from the tech and government sectors, as well as UVic students, CRFAIR conference participants and United Way donors.

Key Partnerships

This year we continued to work with some key partners, who support our work through their donations of expertise, volunteer support, and materials. A special thanks in 2018 to:

• BC Fruit Testers Association is an incredible local resource that Rex was deeply involved with for many years. This organization has been invaluable in helping to prepare and create the interpretive signs with his story.
• Friends of Knockan Hill Park also played an important role in helping to create Rex Welland’s interpretive signs
• The Land Conservancy continues to provide volunteer support for the care and monitoring of their covenant.
• Eco-Sense provides expertise and materials whenever possible. This year we were able to access plant material and support to graft some new persimmon varieties!
• Pacific Horticulture College works with us to ensure that their students have access to our incredible outdoor classroom! Their pruning support in the winter and spring is invaluable.

Looking Forward to 2019

LifeCycles is honoured to be a part of this amazing project, and is committed to continuing to contribute funding and administrative support to realize it’s goals. We are also working to operate our programming on a cost-recovery basis, and are refining our approach to engaging volunteers with the goal of deepening relationships and supporting the long-term financial and social health of the Welland Community Orchard. We look forward to another year for fruitful collaboration!