Thank you so much Greater Victoria Green Team participants for your hard work and enthusiasm:
Amy, Anju, Anne Chung Sin, Brehnen, Bryan, Burin, Casey, Chloe B, Chloe D, Chris, Dennis, Estella, Hans Josef, Hernan, Hiromi, Iris, Isaac, Jasmine, Jenny, Judy, Kathy, Keza, Maria, Mark, Mason, Mateo, Mike, Nina, Robin, Sawyer, Sofia, Stéphane, Tristan & Wayne!
It was a beautiful summer day spent connecting with each other and to nature, all while restoring habitat! Keep on reading to find impacts, highlights and more from the day…
Impacts
- 34 community members engaged
- 106.5 hours contributed to habitat restoration
- 7 people removed invasive plants for the first time
- 23 people visited Nursery Hill Park for the first time
- 15 cubic metres (about 94 bathtubs full) of invasive Scotch broom & Daphne/Spurge laurel removed
- 302 square metres of habitat was revitalized
Highlights
- We worked together so well, we cleared through our whole site and filled all the invasive plant bags in the first half of this activity! We continued to tackle invasive Scotch broom and Daphne/Spurge laurel in other parts of the park. Nothing could stop us!
- Those who tackled the Daphne in the lower part of the park got to enjoy the shade provided by some massive Douglas fir trees!
- We rescued many native plants including baby Garry Oak trees, Oregon grape, Trailing blackberry and Honeysuckle
- We found quite a few native trailing blackberry with ripe berries. We ate a few and it was the first time some of us had ever tried them!
- It was a very warm sunny day and everyone enjoyed having water misted on their necks, face and arms
- Seasoned volunteers from the View Royal Habitat Restoration Project joined us and led by example on how to effectively tackle these invasive plants
- 5 people rode their bikes to this activity!
- Stella, Sophia and Anne helped set up our snack table, which included refreshing watermelon, homemade vegan brownies, dill pickle dried cucumber snacks, Munchies chips, cucumbers, tempura crisps, fruit gummies, a variety of granola bars and more!
- A big thank you to EVERYONE who helped bring our invasive plant bags, tools and supplies down the hill!
- Special thank you to Mason, Jasmine and Stella who came early to help carry tools and supplies up the hill and set up, and Mason for being the last to leave as well to help us ensure everything was packed up!
- Everyone put in an amazing amount of effort and made a HUGE difference in the rare Garry Oak ecosystem in this park!
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. Their next activity will be on Saturday Jul 19!
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, Aaliyah, with support from special visitor Ashton, Lower Mainland Green Team Partnerships Manager! This was both Heather and Aaliyah’s second time leading an activity after being community volunteers themselves. They are very excited to be part of our team!
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!
