New Westminster Environmental Almanac (2917 ... - Douglas College

Parks and Greenspaces
Cemeteries
38
By Nadine Pinnell
Cemeteries do not spring to mind when we think about examples of
urban green spaces. They may be places of peaceful sanctuary for us but
we give little thought to their value for wildlife. However, depending on
its design, a cemetery can provide important habitat for some types of
wildlife. While the manicured lawn areas common in most cemeteries
have little habitat value, flowers and shrubs planted throughout the area
can be excellent habitat for butterflies and bees. This is especially true if
most of the flowers and shrubs are native rather than exotic species.
Older cemeteries may have large trees on their grounds that provide
important nesting habitat for birds. Many cemeteries also have unused
areas that are reserved for future expansion. Since these are often left
unmowed, they provide shelter for small mammals and ground-nesting
birds. Even without larger vegetation, unpaved cemetery lawns allow
rainfall to soak into the ground reducing urban run-off. So despite our
first impression, cemeteries can make important contributions to urban
biodiversity.
St Peter’s Cemetery
There are three active cemeteries in New Westminster, Fraser Cemetery
(7.28 hectares), St Peter’s Catholic Cemetery (1.86 hectares) and Schara
Tzedeck (5.87 hectares). Other cemeteries, no longer receiving
internments, are the Penitentiary Cemetery and Woodlands Cemetery.
Combined the grounds of the three active cemeteries equals 15.01
hectares, an area larger than Poplar Island. Considering all cemeteries are
quite old (Fraser Cemetery dates back to 1869) and have a considerable
amount of mature vegetation, these areas potentially provide a significant
amount of wildlife habitat.
Institute of Urban Ecology