Serenity garden planted to help veterans find peace

Staff from the Island Nature Trust and volunteers with P.E.I.'sMilitary Family Resource Centre got their hands dirty on Thursdayat the Jenkins Complex Natural Area near Mount Albion, P.E.I.

About a dozen people planted trees and shrubs in a large clearing to create what they are calling a veteran serenity space.

"It's where you find your soul," said Leona Conrick, executive director of the centre.

The groups created the space as a quiet refuge for militaryveterans and their families andfriends.

"You come out into the nature and you feel, you just, find yourself again. You can connect."

Jenkins Complex Natural Area is the Island Nature Trust's largest natural area on the Island at 280 hectares and the serenity space will be an area within it.

'Sheltered and safe'

Volunteers planted maple treesto create a peace circle with four red oaks marking the directionson a compass.

"We are creating a bit of an enclosed grove that people will be able to enter and we're takinga long-term view," saidJulie-Lynn Zahavich, stewardship co-ordinator with the group.

She said the trees are small now, but the hope is they'll grow into a space that feels "really sheltered and safein about10 to 20 years."

The design includes a winding pathsothe area hassome privacy, with trees and bushesto shelter the space from being observed fromthe main trail.

'Experience peace'

The group's plan is to eventually createa short pathleading to a bench by a small pond.

"I hope that they experience peace. If they're feeling any conflict, they can just come here and feel one with nature and just help to feel calm and peaceful," said Conrick.

Other benches and interpretive signage will also be added over time.

The garden was a joint initiative between the two organizations, with $18,000 for the project comingfrom the Charlottetown chapter of 100 Women Who Care.

The space, like all Island Nature Trust areas, is open to the public.

"I just hope that they feel that they have a safe place to come and find that peace in nature," saidZahavich.

"We just want to help people find a peaceful place really and recover from whatever they might be recovering from."

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