Indigenous- inspired landscape project continues at OPG's Saunders Visitor Centre

Guests dropping by OPG's Saunders Hydro Dam Visitor Centre in Cornwall will soon enjoy serene views thanks to an Indigenous-inspired landscaping project at the site.

By summer 2022, the grounds around the visitor center will feature a new trail, diverse gardens with plants and flora important to Indigenous people, an overlook shelter, and a medicinal herb garden with drying shed.

It's all part of phase two of a long-term, sustainable landscape plan for the center, originally developed in 2012 by OPG, the City of Cornwall, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, and the Cornwall Horticultural Society.

The new expanded area will also include a Mother Earth and Tree of Peace feature, a medicine wheel and culinary garden, and scenic views of the St. Lawrence River and OPG's R.H. Saunders Generating Station (GS).

"In planning this project, we consulted with the Akwesasne community on different plant species and how they're used today and 100 years ago to make sure our garden is representative of Indigenous culture and practices," said Codie Lonsberry, Project Site Manager at R.H. Saunders GS. "We want to take visitors back to the St. Lawrence River area of the late 1800s as far as Indigenous plants and medicines go."

"This project has only expanded our belief in the importance of showcasing the traditional knowledge and natural resources that have been a vital part of the communities of Akwesasne and Cornwall for centuries," Kelly Mitchell, CEO of the Iroquois Sullivan Joint Venture.

In 2019, the first phase saw the construction of a butterfly and herb garden, populated with native wildflowers like purple coneflower and milkweed.

Leading the project is a joint venture between Iroquois Consulting Group, an Akwesasne-owned business, and M. Sullivan and Son Limited.

To prepare for spring planting and trail work, crews began to clear the land at the site this past fall. The work is being completed by local Indigenous subcontractors, such as Akwesasne Earth Movers and Northern Landscapes.

Sawentanon Skidders, co-owner (along with JR Skidders) of Northern Landscapes stated, "It was a great collaboration between different companies to build a garden for the surrounding communities."

"Working for the past year on this project has only expanded our belief in the importance of showcasing the traditional knowledge and natural resources that have been a vital part of the communities of Akwesasne and Cornwall for centuries," said Kelly Mitchell, CEO of the Iroquois Sullivan Joint Venture.

A butterfly and herb garden constructed in 2019 at the Saunders visitor center features pollinator plants that traditionally thrived in the St. Lawrence River region.

"We are very grateful to OPG for the opportunity to be part of such an impressive and important initiative that will reintroduce plants that our ancestors used prior to European contact."

In addition to beautifying the visitor center and surrounding space, the garden area will help educate visitors on the uses and history of traditional Indigenous plants and herbs through signs and exhibits along the trail. The area will also help improve local biodiversity by attracting pollinating insects and birds.

"It has been rewarding and encouraging to see the Elders, traditional knowledge experts, OPG staff, local sub-trades, consultants, and the joint venture collaborate on this project that is very important to the communities of Akwesasne and Cornwall," said Jeremiah Point of Point Engineering, an Akwesasne company overseeing subcontracting on the project.