About Terra Nova Rural Park

Terra Nova Rural Park is a 63 acres city-wide nature park in the Thompson area with historic buildings, a community garden and a picnic area.
This park has excellent habitat for birds and other wildlife in the area. Boardwalks, slough and viewing platforms are available for enhanced park visibility and access. Various agriculturally oriented activities take place at the park including: a Waterwise Demonstration Garden, Community Garden and is home to user groups such as The Sharing Farm and the Terra Nova School Yard Society.

The Terra Nova Adventure Play Environment is a play experience unique to the Lower Mainland. It is the result of an extensive and highly successful community planning process, and reflects the agricultural traditions of the area and complements the City’s growing collection of innovative parks. The play environment represents a major departure from other contemporary playgrounds in that most of the features are custom designed and manufactured using British Columbia sourced Yellow Cedar and sustainable design practices, rather than conventional, ‘off the shelf’ metal and plastic products.

Equally important the design of the Terra Nova Adventure Play Environment responds to concerns that have been raised among various professionals that children and adults are increasingly becoming disconnected from nature. In his book ‘Last Child in the Woods’ Richard Louv refers to this disconnection as “Nature-Deficit Disorder”. The City’s hope is that by constructing a dynamic play environment amongst trees and former farm fields, with a wide range of wildlife nearby, and adjacent to the Fraser River, one of the world’s great salmon producing rivers, we can help reconnect people with nature. And have fun in the process.

It is organized into two distinct zones: The Paddock and The Homestead:

  • The ‘Paddock’ which was once home to horses and stables, now includes:
    tandem 35m long ziplines (8yrs +)
    * 3m high ‘big’ swings (8yrs +)
    * ‘pivot’ swing (5yrs +)
    * twisting stainless steel hillside slide!(5yrs +)
    * rolling hill to hop, skip and bound down (2yrs +) and,
    * meadow maze (2yrs +).
  • The ‘Homestead’, the site of a former farm house, includes:
    * A custom designed 10m tall ‘Tree House’ with four platforms, a central rope ladder, and a stainless steel spiral slide (8yrs +)
    * The Log Jam: A climbable timber structure (5yrs +)
    * An ‘aerial’ rope walkway (5yrs +)

What do you see in this space? How do people in the community enjoy it?

  • 63 acres city-wide nature park in the Thompson area with historic buildings, a community garden and a picnic area
  • Thompson Community Association in Richmond has partnered with the City of Richmond and the Richmond Schoolyard Society to deliver the first non-profit Nature Preschool in the City
  • 63 acres city-wide nature park in the Thompson area with historic buildings, a community garden and a picnic area
  • An excellent habitat for birds and other wildlife in the area
  • Boardwalks, slough and viewing platforms are available for enhanced park visibility and access
  • Various agriculturally oriented activities take place at the park

Events and Festivals:

  • Raptor Festival and Raptor Program
  • 8th Annual Garlic Festival
  • Terra Nova Camping program
  • Terra Nova Schoolyard programs for pre-school to elementary school age students
  • Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver supervises two plots at the Terra Nova

Economic and Retail Activities:

  • Sharing Farm Market

Historic or Heritage Features:

  • Cold Comfort Farm
  • Cannery House
  • Cannery House and Store
  • Edwardian Cottage
  • Parsons House
  • Terra Nova Heritage Area
  • Terra Nova View Corridor
  • For detailed information please visit: http://www.richmond.ca/plandev/planning2/heritage/HeritageInv/search.aspx

Memorable or Unique Characteristic(s):

  • Scenic panoramic views of the Fraser River, Strait of Georgia, Gulf Islands and coastal mountains
  • A 5-star adventure play ground that embraces natural and “risky” play
  • Extensive agricultural gardens
  • Hedgerows throughout the park are virtually the same as they were 100 yrs ago and mark the historic agricultural activities of the site
  • Rural and sensitive to the environment

Development:

  • 2014 saw the opening of the Terra Nova Adventure Play Environment
  • Additional farm buildings such as a greenhouse and new barn have been added to aid our non-profit partners with farming activities

Submitted by: Christina Lazar-Schuler

Video Link: http://ow.ly/IzEz303yjwT

Map: http://ow.ly/koYQ303yjBj