Imagine an early autumn day at the A Rocha Canada BC Centre. You’ve spent the morning contemplating salmon, toads and damselflies at the Tatalu river. White-crowned Sparrows Zonotrichia leucophrys greet the day, while Bigleaf Maple Acer macrophyllum leaves fall to the moist forest floor. You make your way up a winding path and up to the A Rocha Canada farm. First, you encounter an epic compost pile steaming in the cool air. You then pass by rows upon rows of various leafy greens, on to the kid’s garden, and then finally to the grand yellow barn. It’s well-loved yet weary from nearly a hundred years of use.
Built in the 1930s, this heritage barn has become emblematic of the BC Environmental Centre and its history. It stood when the Brooksdale estate was used as a care facility for people suffering from mental illness and mental disabilities. Later, when the estate changed hands, the barn was used by drama troupes and musical ensembles for performances. Since A Rocha Canada moved to the property in 2010, the barn has been used for learning, celebration and farming activities, but it’s ready for a major upgrade to support the next hundred years of conservation.
Now imagine walking up to that barn transformed into a four-season Conservation Learning Centre and Hospitality Hub. A Rocha Canada is planning a major renovation to equip the barn with a welcoming farm market cafe, a hands-on conservation lab and a multi-purpose event space where the old hayloft used to be. The revived and energy-efficient barn will host school groups, retreats, community workshops and thousands of visitors every year.
