The Rotary Club of North Muskoka opened a new sensory garden at Riverside Park in Huntsville on Aug. 6.
President Nancy Wilding said the club wanted to create a space in Huntsville that supports mental health, the environment, and local youth. She said Riverside Park was chosen because the area was previously “pretty empty.”
“In today’s technology-driven world, we wanted to create a natural space that engages all your senses. So, there are raised garden beds to stimulate your sense of taste, touch, sight, and smell. There’s also a native plant garden where listeners can hear the pollinators buzzing around,” she said.
The project took four years of work to become a reality, according to Wilding, with the club raising more than $10,000 after receiving approval from the Town of Huntsville to establish the sensory garden.
“Well, our intent for this garden is to have everyone who visits, regardless of their abilities, be able to pause and reflect,” she said.
The garden features wide, flat pathways that make it easy to navigate. She said signage is available in both written text and Braille, while a picture-based communication board allows nonverbal visitors to share their experiences in the garden.
Additionally, the park features a “peace pole,” which she said serves as an inspirational physical marker of Rotary’s international peace mission.
“It displays the message, ‘May Peace Prevail on Earth’, in eight different languages,” she said. “There’s been over a quarter of a million peace poles installed around the globe.”
