Thank you so much Greater Victoria Green Team community members for your hard work and enthusiasm:
Cathy, Earl, Erwin, Grace, Iris, Jack, Jasmine, Judy, Justin, Leia, Mahieddine, Mark, Mason, Nicole, Owen, Sakura, Shakya, Sofia, Taras, Tim, Trevor, Wayne, Carla, Mark, Bruce, Chris, Bahi, Stacey, and Sawyer!
It was a perfect summer day for connecting with each other and to nature, all while restoring habitat! Keep on reading to find impacts, highlights and more from the day…
Impacts
- 29 community members engaged
- 91.25 hours contributed to habitat restoration
- 9 people removed invasive plants for the first time
- 17 people visited Stoneridge Wetland for the first time
- 11 cubic metres (about 68 bathtubs full) of invasive Himalayan Blackberry were removed! In addition to the Parrot Feather taken out of the wetland!
- 75 square metres of habitat was revitalized
Highlights
- Participants worked together to rescue native plants including a bald hip rose, snowberry, red alder and bitter cherry trees that were covered in Himalayan Blackberry
- Jasmine made it her mission to access branches of the most ripe and juicy blackberries so we could snack away on nature’s bounty throughout the morning
- Participants had a wide variety of outdoor summertime interests including horseback riding, nature walks, yoga, soccer, morning coffee on the porch, swimming, jogging, paddle boarding and star gazing
- Seasoned volunteers from the View Royal Habitat Restoration Project joined us, including Bruce, Stacey, Sawyer, Chris, Mark and Carla
- Mark and Carla live just down the street from the wetland and show tireless dedication to it’s restoration – we used their boat for removal which they call the Parrot Feather attack boat!
- Shakya joined in removing Parrot Feather from the boat which was his first invasive removal experience in the water and he loved it!
- Wayne rode his bike from Victoria to join us!
- Sakura and Mason helped with our snacks which included granola bars, mini donuts, blueberries, carrots and ranch dip, chips, caramel popcorn and pretzel mix, brownies, gummies and smores coookies!
- Gordy lives next to the wetland and brought delicious muffins made by his wife Maddy for us as a thank you for all our effort and care!
- A big thank you to EVERYONE who helped pack up our site and load up our van at the end of the activity – we were done in under 20 minutes!
- Community members travelled from View Royal, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, Langford, and Victoria to care for this park and wetland
- Four of our participants were with us the previous day at Matilda Park, keen to pack their weekend with the Green Teams experience!
What Community Members Said
Community Investment Partner
THANK YOU to the Town of View Royal for providing the financial support, ecological expertise and guidance for this activity!
Special thanks to Chris, View Royal’s Habitat Restoration Coordinator, for helping to facilitate this activity and for bringing members of the View Royal Habitat Restoration Project to join!
Learn more about and get involved with the Town of View Royal’s habitat restoration program HERE and/or email Chris, the Habitat Restoration Coordinator at restorevr@gmail.com.
Through this partnership, we are creating opportunities for community members to come together, connect with each other and nature, and take care of the environment!
In-Kind Support
A big thank you to our in-kind supporter LUSH for providing their eco-friendly personal care products for community members to take home!
Participants enjoyed taking soap bars, bombs, body wash, and lotions in recycled and reusable containers.
This business has wonderful, sustainable products that support more responsible consumer choices!
If you’re interested in contributing in-kind or have ideas for potential partnerships, please contact Kaitlin. Your support makes a difference!
Why We Do This Work
The Greater Victoria Green Team is a program of the charity Green Teams of Canada.
We believe in the transformative power of hands-on environmental activities to empower individuals and strengthen communities.
Through initiatives like invasive plant removals, tree plantings, and litter clean-ups, we not only foster connections among participants but also deepen their relationship with nature. Spending time outdoors has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety while enhancing mood, focus, and overall mental and physical health.
Our activities are designed to be inclusive, welcoming individuals of all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and skill levels.
What sets us apart is we attract a wide mix of young community members who may not otherwise spend time outside, igniting their passion for nature and environmental care.
We are committed to instilling an environmental ethic that leads to lasting behaviour change. We aim to create a sense of belonging and connection to place, encouraging participants to recognize their ability to make a meaningful impact.
Together, we can all make a difference. Join us as we build a brighter, greener future for everyone!
Staff Who Made This Activity Possible
Our staff work hard to run high-quality community activities. Outreach, activity logistics, social media, reporting on impacts, partnership building and more – they do it all!
This activity was run by the Greater Victoria Green Team’s new Program Manager, Heather, and Program Assistant, Nicola, with support from the founder of Green Teams Canada, Lyda. They are all very passionate about bringing these fun, meaningful activities to the community!
Interim Partnerships Manager, Kaitlin, who works hard behind the scenes to run and grow our Greater Victoria Green Team, also supported this activity behind the scenes!
