Since 1996 a group of volunteers has worked to establish a park on the former site of Winnipeg’s Henteleff Tree Nursery. Having opposed a housing development that would limit future access to this remarkable landscape, they presented a convincing plan showing the value and potential of the site as a public park. As a result, the land was rezoned as a park in 2002 and renamed Henteleff Park. The Henteleff Park Foundation Inc. (HPF), a registered charitable organization, was then founded to initiate development of the site as a passive park — a place for visitors to enjoy quiet reflection and low impact recreation in a natural setting.
Once part of the Henteleff family farm, the 30-acre park is located on a river lot at 1964 St. Mary’s Road (see map). The northern edge of the land follows an east-west bend in the Red River. The land has kept its rural character, even as development has surrounded it. Remnants of shelter plantings from the city’s former tree nursery and natural riparian forest make for a stunning landscape and provide valuable wildlife habitat. Normand Creek runs through the park, providing an important spawning area and backwater for fish species.
Earlier this year, the Henteleff Park Board of Directors felt it was time to examine why we do what we do with the intent of setting clear goals for the future of the Foundation and ultimately, for the Park. A good starting point was to develop a new purpose statement that was easy to understand, remember and relate to.
To act in Stewardship for Henteleff Park
The volunteer-run and non-profit Henteleff Park Foundation is dedicated to caring for Henteleff Park through:
- restoration and conservation of its lands, plants, and wildlife
- partnership with community
- advocating for the Park
- education about its existing ecology and many-layered human and ecological history
You can help preserve this wonderful greenspace. Find out more here.