a tour of ARC

A few weeks ago, I attended part of a National Forum hosted by ARC. The original idea was to create an event where the staff for ARC in Manitoba could connect with those of us based here in BC but it ended up becoming an event of the Americas as we had representatives from AR Peru, AR Columbia, AR International (including the new CEO), and AR USA. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet others and put a face and bit of a personality to the names we all hear. It was also great to hear about what AR is doing in other parts of this world - very encouraging. We also took everyone (and it was a group of about 50 people) on a field trip, including a trip down to the estuary by White Rock to show them some restoration work we have been doing there as well as a stop for tea and snacks at the Field Study Centre, giving those who haven’t been there yet could see it. While there, I took the opportunity to snap a few photos, for a small virtual tour for you guys - I should really plan to do a more thorough one in the summer when the weather is slightly better as not all of my photos turned out. But, here’s a little snip-it of the Centre where I spend two days a week.

This is a drawing of the entire property at the Field Study Centre (if you click on it, you should get a bigger image). It’s a bit of a mix of current and proposed uses, but the actual layout is relatively accurate. Our office is located in the main house, and this is where we hold community meals and most evening events. Several staff and interns also live in this house. The farmhouse is where the directors live with their two girls, and there are additional bedrooms available for visitors & interns.

This is the main living area in the main house. Jay, who serves as center director with his wife, is giving a brief overview of what life at the Centre is like to all the forum attendees.

This is where all the garden action takes place - the home of the Community Shared Agriculture plan that we run. In the background is the farmhouse.

We have a few Highland Cattle on the property that are raised for beef - they are also quite the tourist attraction as most visitors are drawn to them because of their cute looks.

This shows a corner of the garden as well as part of the pasture where the cattle graze.

A slightly blurry shot of one of the newest buildings on the site - home to the native plant nursery (also shown in the second picture) and the store, where we sell various crafts etc. produced by local artists.


At the north end, we also have a pond/wetland (shown below) as well as a grove of cedar trees.

And lastly, I’ll leave you with a drawing of the Manitoba site (again a mix of current and future uses) - for those of you in the area, it’s definitely worth the trip as it really is very beautiful. And it's right next door to the Pembina Valley Provincial Park.