A Trip to Garden City Lands

The students and faculty alike have always known the exciting potential for Garden City Lands. The city of Richmond and Kwantlen Polytechnic University are collaborating on a project to create a space that benefits both the students of Kwantlen and Richmond residents. This terms' agro ecosystem management class serves as an optimal space to discuss the development within the context of sustainability. Mike used the first quarter of the class to discuss details of the project and some of the unique characteristics of this location. Garden City Lands is roughly 135 acres of bog habitat held within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). Kwantlen will eventually manage 20 acres, this portion of the site will be drained to create a more suitable environment for agricultural production. The remainder of Garden City Lands will remain in its natural state as a bog conservation. A dyke has been under construction and will serve as a barrier between what will become two very distinct environments. The dyke will also double as a walkway open to the public.

Garden City Lands has had a rather diverse history, in no specific order the site has been used as a firing range, for communication towers, was once treaty land of the Tsawwassen First Nations and sold to the city of Richmond with the intention of developing a recreation centre. The city had presumably not done the necessary research as Garden City Lands is within the ALR thus very strict regulations are implemented. Subsequently a recreation centre would not be permitted. Its not entirely clear how Kwantlen and the sustainable agriculture faculty became involved but they have been developing a more suitable project. For sustainable agriculture students and faculty this certainly could be the makings of lemonade from what to the City of Richmond considers lemons.

The class discussed some common characteristics to wetland ecosystems. Species inhabiting a bog are often unique and require moist, acidic environments (unlike agricultural species). A moist acidic environment is the makings for peat soils, as these conditions are oxygen poor (anaerobic) and plant matter degrades slowly. Garden City Lands in particular has high levels of iron as a result of contamination from previous use (firing range, communication towers).

As our Garden City Lands discussion came to a close the class enjoyed a web of life presentation by Nic, who had researched the Rhizobium leguminosarum. A crucial bacterial species in agricultural operations dependent on naturally derived forms of nitrogen as it assists in fixation of the element. We gathered our things suited up for a relatively cold and windy day and made our way to Garden City Lands.

The gang headed to our first evaluation site

Remnants of the unusually cold winter we experienced

Our assessment began with an examination of a pile of soil brought from a near by excavation site. The pile contained large woody material and was mostly organic matter. Due to environmental factors the pile had become anaerobic. This was quite evident upon digging a hole, anaerobic soils have a particular scent (sulfur). A pH test confirmed our assumptions, with a reading of 3.1-4.0.

Will digging a hole

Kwantlen's soil scientist, Amy, provides insight on soil characteristics and sampling techniques

It's unbelievable how much a physical inspection of soil can reveal!

This is only a small portion of the soil that will be needed for Garden City Lands. As the current soil conditions are not suitable for most agricultural crops. The City of Richmond and Kwantlen University faculty members have made the decision to import soil from surrounding areas. Roughly 30 cm of top soil will be deposited with the intention of building a new and healthy soil environment. Structures will also be built on the site and 2-3 piles are found, this is a common practice, the weight of the piles has a settling effect and prepares the ground for construction.

The class walked along a road recently constructed through Garden City Lands to the dyke. A few class members had last visited the site fall of 2015 during a Soil Stewardship class to take samples with Rebecca and Taku. It was astonishing at how much the site had changed since that visit. The road eventually meets up with the dyke, and was the location of our next assessment. Another hole was dug and interestingly the soil at this site had an entirely different odour, it was earthy. The pH was still acidic averaging 3.0. Amy gave a quick tutorial on testing peat which involved saturating a sample and squeezing the water out.

Smelling soil, luckily this sample had a pleasant odour

Amy demonstrating a soil test designed for peat

A border of similar soil to the first pile lines the road and will serve as an ideal beetle bank, a habitat designed to encourage beneficial insect species

As we discussed the second site and some of the native species or agricultural species that could thrive in this environment the topic of water surfaced. Water availability is integral to agricultural systems especially in British Columbia as summers are very dry. The water provided to this site will be mainly municipal but retention ponds are also planned. Water was, however, not in shortage on this day as we moved on to the next site. We ended our assessment on what is called "the rise" simply because it is raised due to soil deposited from unknown sites. The walk there was wet as the area was slightly flooded.

Garden City Lands is mowed annually, beyond Number Four Rd is a continuation of marshlands, yet this site is not mowed. When this type of environment grows freely a very different community of species establish. In this case beyond Hazel and Eric we see trees have grown and a stark contrast is visually evident between the two sites. Although I had to move quickly as it was wet, I turned around to snap a picture in hopes of documenting the difference between both sites. 

The difference in water dynamics is evident as vegetation varies greatly from site to site. Many matting ground cover was found at the second site. In areas more prone to flooding we observed aquatic plant species like reeds, as could be seen in our last site.

One last hole was dug and Amy quickly explained some of the features as it was filling with water. The soil type here had unique characteristics, it was much higher in clay and had a slightly less acidic pH (4.4).

Many of the necessary steps being taken to develop Garden City Lands have been questioned and scrutinized as they aren't immediately thought of as sustainable practices. The issues with contaminated soil, a large amount of imported soil, disruption of a natural wetland ecosystem, and so forth are legitimate concerns. Rebecca had an enlightening perspective for the class. This site is not ideal for agricultural purposes but it is in the ALR. If it is not used for agriculture it will very likely be pulled out of the ALR and developed. When we consider the realities of urban development in the lower mainland, Garden City Lands offers possibilities for community development, engagement, and education. It may require we look at Garden City Lands through a different lens to see all its budding potential.