Volunteering – Centennial Park and Mouat Park
SSI GARDEN HABITAT
Centennial Park • Mouat Park • SIMS Courtyard
Salt Spring’s community gardening efforts continue to grow, thanks to volunteers who care deeply about ecological stewardship, native plants, and creating welcoming outdoor spaces.
Our work now spans Centennial Park, Mouat Park, and the Courtyard at SIMS, each with its own purpose and rhythm - but all connected by shared values: collaboration, learning, and long‑term care for the parks.
Please email us to find out more: ssigardenhabitat@gmail.com
Centennial Park: Native Plant Stewardship & Community Design
Centennial Park is a current focus. Working alongside the Native Plant Stewardship Initiative (Transition Salt Spring), volunteers have been restoring the market‑side beds, removing invasives, and preparing for fall planting.
A community design session on October 1st brought together people with deep knowledge of the garden’s history, including those familiar with Elsie Claxton’s Indigenous plant teachings. Their insights are shaping a planting plan that increases native species, strengthens ecological function, and makes the gardens easier to maintain over time.
We are now collaborating with SSIPARC/CRD on a long‑term maintenance plan. Volunteers play an active role in shaping this future — their observations guide seasonal priorities, plant choices, and stewardship practices.
What Volunteers Do at Centennial 
- Weeding, pruning, watering, seasonal tidy‑ups
- Plant identification and mapping
- Supporting Indigenous‑informed stewardship
- Helping develop signage and educational materials
- Contributing to long‑term planning and design
Centennial Park is hands‑on, shared work and deeply rewarding.
SIMS Courtyard: Small Space, Big Impact
The Courtyard at SIMS is a compact teaching and demonstration space that complements our work at Centennial. Volunteers help refresh native plantings, prune lightly, and support educational signage and student engagement.
We include SIMS Courtyard sessions from time to time, working them into our regular Wednesday Centennial routine.
Mouat Park: Forest‑Edge Habitat & Quiet Stewardship
Mouat Park offers a different kind of gardening experience: shaded, peaceful, and steady. Volunteers focus on removing invasives from trailside beds and habitat pockets, refreshing plantings and supporting pollinators and birds.
What Volunteers Do at Mouat Park
- Weeding and pruning in shaded beds
- Refreshing plantings and maintaining forest‑edge gardens
- Supporting habitat for birds and pollinators
- Observing seasonal changes and adjusting care
Mouat Park is a calm, grounding place to volunteer, perfect for those who enjoy quiet stewardship.
