Over 200 community members, park donors and volunteers gathered this past Saturday to celebrate the completion of fundraising for the new community park on Hwmet’utsum (Mt. Maxwell) with a water blessing ceremony led by Quw’utsun elder Qwiahwultuhw (Robert George).
Hosted at Fulford Hall by the Salt Spring Community Park campaign team and event supporters, the Baha'i Community of Salt Spring Island, the gathering featured Quw’utsun drumming offered by Joe Akerman and Pamela Bourque and dancing performed by Tzinquaw Dancer Larry George along with stories, poetry and ceremony to show support for the project and event host Qwiahwultuhw.
Campaign fundraising advisor Christopher Roy MC’ed the event which marked the culmination of months of fundraising work to secure the final $350,000 needed to purchase the land for the first new park on the island in 15 years.
The gathering was initially planned as the final fundraising event for the campaign but transformed into a land and water blessing ceremony as a result of the fundraising goal being achieved earlier than expected.
The event also marked what is hoped to be the beginning of a strong collaboration between Quw’utsun community members, government and the local settler community in the planning and design of the new protected recreation area on the North Eastern slope of Hwmet’utsum.
An additional $3,560 in fundraising was raised at the event through a silent auction of artworks donated by Qwiahwultuhw, Carol Evans, L. Wilson and others will go toward funding the trail building and signage for the park.
The Salt Spring Community Park campaign was a collaborative effort between countless volunteers, donor businesses and key organizing groups, including Salt Spring Solutions, the Salt Spring Island Foundation, the Capital Regional District, Salt Spring PARC and Island Pathways. Media and advertising support for the campaign were provided by the Salt Spring Exchange.
The parkland area sits on the unceded territory of the Quw’utsun people. More recently, the area eventually became the property of the Texada Development Corp. during its settlement history but was spared another round of logging during the early 2000s when it became privately owned by Andrea Collins, the former spouse of music legend Phil Collins. The 75-acre park will feature mixed-use trails for hiking, mountain biking, equestrian, and disc golf and the protection of the area from future development.
Current property owners donated a significant portion of the value of the land to help secure its use as a new park. The new park area will further extend the protected areas of Hwmet’utsum, an area of deeply important cultural value to the Quw’utsun people.
Community engagement, planning, design and creation of the new park will begin once the land transfer has been completed early next year.
