Invasive English Ivy & Himalayan Blackberry Removal – Ocean View Park, Colwood

July 27, 2024

Thank you so much Greater Victoria Green Team participants for your hard work and enthusiasm:

Annie, Arleen, Chloe, Dallin, Elaine, Eric, Eva, Jack, Laura, Maria, Maira, Mason, Matte, Meaghan, Mengkun, Prince, Rachel, Seyfullah, Stephane, Tim, Travis, and Yumi!

What a fun day we had connecting people to one another and nature, all while restoring habitat! Keep on reading to find impacts, highlights and more from the day…

Impacts

22 community members engaged
71 hours contributed to habitat restoration
7 people removed invasive plants for the first time
15 people visited Ocean View Park for the first time
4.5 cubic metres of invasive plants were removed (equivalent to 28 bathtubs!)
610 square metres of habitat revitalized

Highlights

This was our 7th visit to this park! We were at this park many times last year including a massive invasive plant removal activity in March and a native species planting in April. It was great to be able to return to this site this year and continue the restoration of this important habitat.
We are seeing many native plant species thriving in this park. It is so rewarding to see native species reclaiming the space after we spent so many activities removing invasive plants and then planting native species!
The sunny summer weather kept us quite warm but we were able to cool off in the shade of the trees, with water misters, cold drinks, & refreshments. It was a great day to enjoy time in nature.
Everyone enjoyed a variety of refreshments, with fresh watermelon, cold juice, and the homemade brownies & rice crispy squares were a hit!
City of Colwood councillor and Ocean View Park neighbour Dean Jantzen stopped by to celebrate the work being done in the park and thank everyone for their hard work!
Community members Laura, Eva, and Matte all helped with packing up: thank you for your help!
Community members and passersby enjoyed the additional education provided by our educational plant signs, learning about identification in a fun, creative way!
People joined this activity from all over, including people who live in the neighbourhood and others who travelled across the region to have fun connecting with each other.
We were also joined by several members of the Camosun College Sustainability Collective who were excited to connect with fellow students in nature and gain some exciting hands-on experience with environmental stewardship.
All ages, backgrounds, and experience levels were engaged including returning Green Team members, and first-timers.

What Community Members are Saying

I found joy in seeing less intensive growth of invasive species compared to the park we were at last week.…proof that the previous work from last year in this park has made a difference. I felt a sense of pride that the work we were doing to remove the young plants today would make even more of a difference as we give the native ecology a chance to thrive. I felt deep relief every time I came across a young native plant that survived the cold winter and drought and regrowth of invasive plants. It gives me great hope that the plants volunteers planted last year are going to win the fight against the invasive plants. Thanks for bringing us together to save our native ecology!

The program is a great way to make a difference in the community. We support native species and improve our environment by removing invasive plants as well as updating the environmental knowledge of the people. It's amazing to see a small group of people coming together for one goal which strengthens community bonds and teamwork. It's an amazing opportunity for people to come together and contribute for the health of our natural surroundings and raise awareness about the importance of caring for our local areas.

The impact of this program goes beyond the obvious restoration of natural habitat. I see and feel a sense of belonging and pride amongst the volunteers. It is so important to nurture a sense of community in a time of political division. Having a City Counsellor come and thank the volunteers today is important to demonstrate how volunteers can also influence who become decision makers of the future and the types of things they find important.

Community Investment Partner

THANK YOU to the City of Colwood for providing direction and ecological expertise to guide this activity!

Together we are achieving our common goals and creating connected, healthy and resilient communities engaged in environmental stewardship.

In-Kind Support

Laura, Elaine, and Seyfallah with NatureBee dishcloths

Rachel, Elaine, and Seyfallah with Honey Candles

Travis & Maria with Ola Bamboo cutlery kits

Eva with NatureBee dishcloth

Thank you to the fantastic local eco-friendly business Green Beaver, Ola Bamboo, Nature Bee, and Honey Candles that donated In-kind products for our hard-working community members to take home!

Please contact Kaitlin Warren. if you are interested in providing in-kind.

Why We Do This Work

The Greater Victoria Green Team organizes hands-on educational activities that have a positive environmental impact to empower people. Through activities such as invasive plant removals, plantings, litter cleanups and more, we are fostering connections with others and nature so that health and well-being is prioritized, lifelong environmental stewardship is promoted, and community members are enabled to take care of themselves, each other and the places they live. We all have the power to make a difference!

We all experience mental and physical health benefits from spending time in nature, including reduced stress and anxiety, and improved mood, focus, memory and more. While doing so, we can also have a positive impact on the environment as demonstrated through this activity!

Staff Who Made This Activity Possible

Greater Victoria Green Team Program Manager, Kaitlin Warren and Partnerships Manager Viloka Luna work hard behind the scenes to bring these high-quality activities to you.

Partnership building, outreach, social media, activity logistics, leading on-the-ground, reporting on impacts and more – they can do it all!