It is with a sad heart I have made the difficult decision to close Xenia for public access.
I have owned Xenia for 28 years and in the past two years, things have changed greatly. Where once people visited OPA respectfully, it has become a TikTok and Instagram tourist attraction bringing people every day and on weekends, by the droves. Sometimes there were so many cars parked down the road, you could hardly get by, and my private guests were unable to use the Sanctuary or take precious time because it was overrun with visitors.
Last year we made the shift to having pedestrian access only and this helped, but it did not stop the disrespectful acts of literally climbing the tree for a selfie or two and stuffing things into OPA’s bark and turning OPA into a shrine.
I regularly take bags full of stuff from OPA’s bark. I believe people mean well when they come and don’t realise the damage they are causing.
The biggest problem is OPA’s roots are being compromised. I have spoken to an arborist and Metro Vancouver parks, and they assured me of my greatest fear. And that is the constant climbing and stomping on OPA’s exposed roots is negatively impacting the tree.
In addition to these challenges, we have had many people walk by a very large sign saying: STOP…. only registered guests beyond this point. But they continue to walk on in, expecting a spontaneous tour while we have private events going on. We have found people in the barn grooming our horses without permission.
This is a private retreat centre and I need to honour the health of OPA tree, our animals and our guests' privacy. Thank you for your understanding.
I do know this is not a local problem as many of you visit Xenia with respect and kindness and have thanked me on many occasions.
For our local community who want to visit OPA, please call our office: 604-947-9816 or email: [email protected] and we will gladly set up a time for you to have access.
