Some of us have been dreaming for almost a year now of telling a story about right relationship using a part of our church’s garden. It started with the idea of a rain garden but soon grew to
embrace something more.
Can we explore what it means to work with nature rather than try to control or fight it? Are there ways to garden that support the return of the original ecology of this place?
How can we show respect for the relationships Indigenous peoples have had with this land for thousands and thousands of years?
By trying to answer these and other questions we have now come up with a rough plan that would see us create a RECONCILIATION RAIN GARDEN on the southwestern grassy area of our
land. This would happen in stages, over a few years, with STAGE 1 being the creation of a rain garden. Some of the rain that currently drains off our church’s roof into Saanich’s storm water
system, would be re-directed to that area.
Rain gardens are growing more popular in the CRD as the climate changes and the rains grow more unpredictable. (Link to map of 1000 rain gardens) These gardens allow the rainwater to
be filtered by vegetation and percolate into the soil recharging the groundwater aquifers.
Ultimately that water is returned to the watershed and Bowker Creek, instead of flowing directly into the ocean. By planting the kinds of native plants that thrive in an ecosystem that is
mostly dry, the care for this area will be minimal once the plants have established themselves. Just as important, we will have created a garden where all the other beings who evolved with
these plants can thrive- the birds, bugs, and bacteria, to name just a few. Giving back to nature is another part of the story we are hoping to tell with this garden. As Robin Wall
Kimmerer observes, “all flourishing is mutual.” Because the best time to plant is the fall, over the next few months, we will need to do some soil testing and other preparatory investigations to ensure success. Please do not be alarmed if you see people digging up some of the lawn or examining our roof’s drainage system: it’s all part of the process.
And here’s some more good news- we aren’t going into this project alone. We’re thrilled to be working collaboratively with the Friends of Bowker Creek an organization many are familiar with thanks to the work of Gerald Harris, a member of BVU, and the Peninsula Streams Society, a registered charity whose mission is to build a legacy of healthy streams and shorelines. These groups will provide us with expertise, funding, equipment, and some volunteers. BVU will also need to step up and provide a few people who are interested in doing hands-on planting and gardening this fall. Stay tuned for more about the different ways people can get involved in this project very soon.
STAGE 2 will be the creation of the Indigenous plant garden that will surround the rain garden. While we are beginning now the important work of consultation with Indigenous knowledge keepers about the kinds of food, medicinal and ceremonial plants and shrubs that would be suitable, we don’t expect to be ready to put our shovels in the ground until 2027.
We hope you’ll see this RECONCILIATION RAIN GARDEN as another step in our journey on the reconciliation path. It honours the truth of our shared history- the cultural genocide of the
Original People of this land and the devastation of the watersheds that are now in need of healing and regenerating. We believe it could become a place where we learn how to care for Earth and heal ourselves in the process of tending and enjoying it. This is our work to do as settlers. Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples goes hand in hand with reconciliation with our Earth. They are bound together. May this garden be a way for us to share that story with one another as well as with our neighbourhood.
Over the next months, watch for information in our newsletter and bulletins about upcoming educational opportunities and events connected to this NEW THING that we are doing at BVU.
If you have some suggestions, questions or concerns, please let us know.
Trinity-Grace United Church aspires to be an Apartheid-