The Greater Victoria Green Team organized a community volunteer event in partnership with the District of Sooke Parks in Broomhill Community Park! We had close to 20 people participate from near and far (6 people came from down the street!). We spent 3 hours removing 100s of pounds of garbage from the park, and close 10 cubic metres of Daphne!
Thank-you to everyone for participating: Ahnaf, Amina, Bryce, Catrien, Claudia, Hannah, Kate, Jim, Lori, Rhia, Rosemary, Samuel, Sam, Shanna, Sid, Susan, Victor, Virginia
Thank you very much to the District of Sooke for partnering with the Green Teams! Thank you to Jessica, the Parks Manager of Sooke, for hosting us, putting up posters in Sooke, and helping organize the day!
Thank you to our in-kind sponsors including refreshments from Stick in the Mud Coffee House in Sooke! Plus our other sponsors for providing thank-you gifts to our volunteers: LUSH Cosmetics, Earth Rated dog poop bags, and Watson Gloves for the gloves!
PHOTO ALBUM FROM THE EVENT IS FOUND HERE
Highlights
- 18 volunteers participated and contributed 53 volunteer hours
- 9 volunteers had never been to Broomhill Park before!
- 4 volunteers had never removed Daphne before!
- We removed 10 cubic metres of Daphne and other invasive plants!
- We picked up over 300 pounds of garbage including a car tire, car back seat, car parts, wrought iron banisters, golf balls, and a shoe horn!
- Most of the volunteers came from Sooke (10 people), they also came from: Victoria (4), Juan de Fuca (2) and Oak Bay (1)
What people said about their experience
Keeps our parks as useful, enjoyable spaces for people and native plants and animals, not uncared for dumping ground
(The impact is) Huge! When so many volunteers work together, you can really see the difference in the area you are working. With continued events, I know we will be able to clear all the invasive species from some important habitats, and be able to maintain them.
(What I enjoyed) Connecting with awesome folx, learning more about invasive species work and relations with local governments and seeing that huge pile of Daphne come out of a beautiful little park!
The difference it will make to Sooke’s green spaces. Getting people aware of the parks and that they can make a difference.
Before and After photos
Volunteers in Action
Some of the garbage and daphne we removed
