Garden Project
St. Bart’s church sits on the corner of Gibsons Way and North Road in Gibsons. Our grounds are visible to everyone travelling through that major intersection. As part of our responsibility to creation and to address the impacts of climate change, volunteers from the Parish are working diligently to restore native vegetation and reduce the impacts of potential wildfires.
In the Spring of 2023, the Garden Group at St. Bart’s began an exciting and important project – to return its land to its previous indigenous character. We are gradually removing the flora introduced over the last century by incoming settlers, replacing it with native plants. We commit ourselves to this work foremost as a sincere gesture of reconciliation with the sḵwx̱wú7mesh and shíshálh peoples of the region. We pledge to take every opportunity to learn from and collaborate with them.
Second, we wish to blend our property again with the surrounding landscape, its beauty, and its ability to nurture. Third, mindful of climate change, we wish to cultivate a healthy garden that can sustain itself, be FireSmart, and be drought tolerant. We trust that our garden expresses our praise and thanksgiving to the Creator at the heart of all religions.
The Douglas Firs appeared in our region about 6,000 years ago, but for millennia, the flora of the Sunshine Coast have been shaping our landscape and nurturing the peoples of the region. St. Bart’s gratefully resides on a tiny portion of land belonging to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation.
If you are interested in volunteering with the St. Bart’s Garden Group, please complete the Volunteer Sign-Up Form and someone will contact you.
