Botanic Park Reopens

The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park in Frank Sound celebrated its reopening on 30 April, with free admission to visitors and a brief ceremony. Members of the National Trust, Orchid Society, Friends of the Park and many visitors from around the island came out to show their support for the rejuvenated nature preserve.

"Even though the storm was devastating to the park, it also provided new opportunities for landscaping," said Park Manager Andrew Guthrie. "The strength of nature's ability to recover and the natural cycle of this habitat and this region can be seen throughout the park. We left many of the fallen trees and vegetation in the preserve so that over the years, the nutrients will return to the soil and continue to help teach us about the cycle of our native plants."

Prior to Hurricane Ivan, the park prepared as best it could by boarding up the buildings and moving garden furniture indoors. Staff also placed some rare plants inside, but they prepared to face the undeniable reality that the storm would cause major devastation.

Luckily, it did not cause permanent damage. The buildings survived quite well and although the grounds flooded, the park was spared the onslaught of salt water which would have killed just about everything in its path.

Replanting began earlier this year, using plants grown and stocked in the nursery. A further 3,000 plants arrived from Florida in early April and another shipment will arrive shortly.

Regular visiting hours for the park are: April through September, 9:00am through 6:30pm with last admission at 5:30pm; October through March, 9:00am through 5:30pm with last admission at 4:30pm.