Science in/and the City
A bulletin board at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden shows a map of the garden and information notices.
Photos: Fletcher Wildlife Garden info board, Jane's Walk 2015.
The walk begins in the Fletcher Wildlife Garden on the theme of modern conservation biology and re-wilding. We will then move on to the Arboretum's pond to talk about early experimental work on aquatic plants and attempts to create an urban market for waterfowl eggs before moving to the crab apple plantation to talk about the history of fruit breeding at the Farm.
Next we move up the hill to the view point to discuss the relationship between the scientific aesthetics of the late 19th Century and city planning in Ottawa. We cross the street to the ornamental gardens to reinforce the difference between the Canada Museum of Agriculture and Food and the Central Experimental Farm and talk about Isabella Preston and the place of myth-making. The walk goes through the experimental fields where we'll talk about Marquis wheat and present day uses at the Farm. This also gives an opportunity to talk about past and present development pressures on the farm property.
The tour purposefully jumps back and forth between different time periods, showing off the diversity of landscapes, land uses, and scientific projects at the Central Experimental Farm as well as their relationship to the history of Ottawa and Canada.
