City Given CPRA Award of Excellence for Innovation for Terra Nova Rural Park
24 October 2007
Terra Nova Rural Park is a jewel in the Richmond community. On any given day, residents can be seen cycling along the dyke or tending to their gardens.
The uniqueness of Terra Nova was recently recognized by the Canadian Parks & Recreation Association (CPRA) when it presented the City of Richmond an Award of Excellence for Innovation for the Terra Nova Rural Park Plan: The Power of Community Engagement.
“Terra Nova Rural Park has become a special place for people to experience Richmond’s natural and cultural landscape,” says Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “The remnants of pioneer settlers’ homes provide a reflection of the early days of Richmond while the community gardens allow school children and volunteers to experience our agricultural tradition.”
The park features a community garden and farm where volunteers grow and harvest organic fruit and vegetables for the local food bank. The volunteers also run school programs to give children hands-on gardening experience and teach them about food security while providing them the opportunity to grow food from seed to harvest.
“What makes this project unique is that a city urban park is being used to grow a substantial amount of food while protecting the 1880s heritage and cultural landscape as well as the environmental assets,” explains Mike Redpath, Manager, Parks - Programs, Planning & Design.
The City received this award for the planning and development of this rural park. The CPRA recognized the community’s mobilization to protect the area from residential development and the City’s leadership in purchasing the land. The CPRA also appreciated how the biodiversity elements of the park were identified and the community was engaged in planning the development of the park.
Each year, CPRA recognizes Canada’s best in the parks and recreation field by honouring individuals, programs and projects from across Canada that have made a positive impact on the health, well-being and vibrancy of Canadian communities.
