The effects of hurricane Igor have been felt at MUN Botanical Garden. The nature trails and flower gardens will remain closed for a few days due to damage incurred from the rain and winds Tuesday. “Over two hundred trees are down, and several areas of the trails have washed out,” said Madonna Bishop, acting manager of the Botanical Garden. “We have been assessing the damage today and are now in the process of removing fallen trees and repairing the trails. Safety is our top priority, so it may take several days to clear up the mess,” she said. One area hardest hit was the Wildlife-Friendly Garden, a volunteer project of the Friends of the Garden.

Ms. Bishop noted that the field centre is open to the public, including the Garden Cafe, Giftshop and art show. However, education programs, including the school program bookings, have been cancelled for the week. “Sadly, we had to make the decision to pull out of Doors Open St. John’s event, scheduled for this weekend” said Ms. Bishop. “The Garden has participated in this popular local event for many years.” Other programs, including the “Breaking Ground” teacher training workshop scheduled for early October, should not be affected.
If the clean-up proceeds smoothly, it is hoped the flower gardens and some trails will open later this week. For the latest information on the Botanical Garden programs, please visit the Garden’s website at http://www.mun.ca/botgarden or the Garden’s facebook page “MUN Botanical Garden Inc.”, which also includes photos of some of the recent damage. For more information, please contact Anne Madden, education coordinator, MUN Botanical Garden, at 864-8590 or amadden@mun.ca.

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