On Sunday October 4th, the Greater Victoria Green Team met at UVic Mystic Vale to remove English Ivy threatening native plants. Our efforts were led by Restoration of Natural Systems Director and UVic Professor Nancy Shackelford and co-op student and UVic’s Ecological Restoration Club leader John Kang. John and Nancy are leading a photo monitoring project to track the return of biodiversity and regrowth of native species in Mystic, as well as how much English Ivy tries to creep back!
THANK YOU
Thank you to our volunteers: Andre, Ellen, Alex, Anu, Barbara, Dean, Christine, Eldan, Fang, Finola, Jules, Julie, Kaila, Kevin, Simon, Laura, Lily T., Matthew, Meghan C., Meghan M., Mira, Melinda, Oceana, Oliver, Rebecca, Raven, Sonia, Sophie, Sal, Tessa, Sophia, Tyson, Lily B., Kevin and Zuva. In total the 37 of us logged 97 volunteer hours (that’s about 2.5 weeks of full time work for one person!)!
Thank you to the University of Victoria for your continued support! Environmental stewardship is a collaborative effort and we depend on your support to further our mission and appreciate your dedication to restoring Mystic Vale.
A Photo Albums from the day are found here: 1st Session & 2nd Session!
Group Photos!
Highlights
- In total 37 GVGT volunteers came out and removed 6 cubic metres of English Ivy. Our efforts totalled more than 97 volunteer hours!
- 21 people were introduced to the park and 21 people had never removed invasive species before!
- Thank you to our in-kind sponsors who donated thank you gifts to our community: EarthRated dog poop bags, tea lights from Honey Candles, Lush hard perfume and West Coast Seeds.
Participant Quotes
I really enjoyed knowing a bit about the background of English Ivy and how to identify it. I also really enjoyed seeing the impact of all the hard work the other volunteers did! This program connects people with natural areas of Greater Victoria and educates people about the importance of removing invasive species to protect biodiversity in urban areas.
With enough hands we can make some real progress on getting settler-introduced species out of public lands, undoing some of the harm that we settlers have done to both indigenous people and native flora & fauna.
Getting out to pull ivy was such a good way to get outside, chat with some people, while also feeling like I was giving back to an area I walk through frequently. The time I was there flew by and would love to get out again!
I loved getting my hands dirty, spending time outside, and meeting some new people in a safe environment! Emily was knowledgeable and welcoming.
