Hello Community,

Spring is almost here, and that means another glorious season of gardening!

We will be holding our first team meeting and information session next month.

Join us on Tuesday, February 18th, at Kits Beach Coffee for an informative hour to learn more about growing your own DSF Butterflyway Pollinator Garden and Indigenous Friendship Patches to support local Indigenous artists.

The David Sizuki Foundation’s Butterflyway Pollinator Patches:

Contribute to Indigenous Businesses through our Indigenous Friendship Patches

Over the past year, the Kits Point Butterflyway and various other Vancouver Butterflyway gardens have been growing and harvesting plants that support different artists in their small businesses. This includes plants that attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, which, when harvested, are donated to Indigenous artists for use in natural dyeing, plant medicines, and more. Last year we grew many native and host plants for Rita Kompst Point, Musqueam Cedar Weaver, and Natural Dye Artist. We hope to bring on two more local Indigenous Artists for 2025.

Participants will gain a greater understanding of how your local garden can contribute to our shared journey toward reconciliation and the land-back movement.

Sarah Jamieson, DSF Kits Point Ranger, will provide information on how to get involved with the DSF Butterflyway Initiative, our goals for 2025, and our in-house Indigenous Friendship Patches pilot project.

This initiative aims to offer land access to Indigenous artists and advance several Truth and Reconciliation calls to action.

Moving Beyond Land Acknowledgement

With the implementation of Friendship Patches, we hope to establish long-term relationships with Indigenous artists and communities while addressing the following calls to action:

– 12 – Culturally appropriate early childhood education (for family gardens)

– 62, 63, 64, 65, 66 – Education and reconciliation

– 92 – Economic reconciliation

– Land access and land acknowledgment

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/information-session-dsf-butterflyway-and-indigenous-friendship-patches-tickets-1207668873109?aff=ebdssbdestsearch