Thank you so much Greater Victoria Green Team community members for your hard work and enthusiasm:
Aaliyah, Allison, Amy, Anaya, Andrea, April, Ben, Blenda, Bryce, Charlotte, Ellen, Grace, Jack, Jacob, Jenna, Judy, Maestar, Mark, Mason, Min, Noah, Owen, Rhys, Tristan, and Wayne!
The morning rain couldn’t stop us! It turned into a beautiful summer morning spent connecting with each other while restoring some habitat along the main trail to the bird sanctuary! Keep on reading to find impacts, highlights and more from the day…
Impacts
- 26 community members engaged
- 82.5 hours contributed to habitat restoration
- 7 people removed invasive plants for the first time
- 16 people visited Matilda Park for the first time
- 11 cubic metres (about 68 bathtubs full) of invasive Himalayan blackberry removed
- 90+ square metres of habitat revitalized
Highlights
- The morning may have started dreary with rain, but 26 community members showed up to try something new, show they care, work up a sweat, and make an impact!
- A kingfisher, great heron, and ducks were spotted from the shore as we went through the morning, showcasing the natural vitality of this special park!
- There was a great mix of first timers and seasoned invasive plant removal veterans helping each other out in tackling those stubborn plants with team work!
- Mason arrived at 8:00am to help us get setup for the morning activities with his usual and much-welcome enthusiasm.
- Both Bryce and Wayne rode their bikes to our activity – each putting in 20kms to reach Matilda Park!
- Anaya made her way on the bus to join us for her first activity! While Ben is a local who came from down the road to contribute to his neighbourhood.
- April has only been in Canada three months but was keen to get outside, meet people, and try something new.
- Everyone enjoyed the granola bars, veggie chips, carrot sticks with ranch dip, fresh blueberries, brownies, mango juice, caramel popcorn mix, mini donuts, and especially the Smores cookies!
- A big thank you Maestar and Andrea for helping setup the snacks!
- We were all proud of ourselves for showing up in the rain but for Amy it was also only months after back surgery – and she did an impressive number on the blackberry!
- Everyone worked together as the most helpful team to pack all the tools and equipment into the van at the end of the activity.
What Community Members Said
Community Investment Partner
THANK YOU to the City of Colwood for providing the financial support, ecological expertise and guidance for this activity!
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 Canadian 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!
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!
