Saunders Hydro Dam Visitor Centre opens new gardens
June 16, 2024
The Saunders Hydro Dam Visitor Centre Gardens officially opened to the public on Thursday, June 6th with an afternoon celebration including the Akwesasne and Cornwall communities and contract partner, Iroquois Sullivan Joint Venture.
OPG’s newly-expanded landscape at the Saunders Visitor Centre includes new gardens and a variety of Indigenous inspired interpretive features. Along with enhancing the biodiversity of the Visitor Centre’s site, the gardens will serve as a platform for education, research and community involvement opportunities promoting the knowledge of native, Indigenous, and sustainable plants.
Attendees had the opportunity to explore the various interpretive installations throughout the gardens which are now available to the public. They include a Butterfly and Pollinator Garden, Three Sisters Garden, Medicine Wheel Garden, Overlook Shelter, Drying Shed and Medicine Garden, a Mother Earth/Great Tree of Peace feature and more.
“We are thrilled to unveil the expanded gardens at the Saunders Hydro Dam Visitor Centre Gardens,” said Bruce Robertson, OPG’s VP, Eastern Operations. “These new garden features create space for the Akwesasne, Cornwall, and other surrounding communities and tourists abroad to interact with nature and obtain knowledge about the local Indigenous culture, as well as many types of flora. Whether you are an educator, researcher, or simply a plant enthusiast, the gardens offer something for anyone to learn from and enjoy.”
Additional educational information about the interpretive features and the surrounding gardens were delivered to students earlier in the day, and also to guests at the official opening by representatives from the Native North American Travelling College, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Environment, Snipe Clan Botanicals and more.
Quick facts
– The Saunders Hydro Dam Visitor Centre is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 am to 5 pm, from May 21st through August 30th. Admission is free!, 2024. Admission is free.
– OPG’s R.H. Saunders Generating Station has been part of the Cornwall community in Eastern Ontario for 66 years offering many local programs, initiatives and events focusing on power generation, environment, science, history and more.
– OPG operates 66 hydroelectric stations and 239 dams on 24 Ontario river systems.
About Saunders Hydro Dam Visitor Centre
Located at 2500B Second Street West, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, Saunders Hydro Dam Visitor Centre showcases the rich history of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project as well as the communities and people affected. Whether you are a resident or a visitor, the centre features many exciting and informative interactive displays that make it a must-see tourist destination in the Cornwall area.
For more information on the Visitor Centre, please click here.
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