Invasive Ivy Removal at Dickson Woods, North Saanich

September 20, 2026

This activity was organized in partnership with Victoria Airport Authority

Thank you to all of the community members who joined us!

Charles, Colton, Isaac, Isla, Makayla, Maria, Maria, Murray, Noah, Rachel, Rena, Tamara, Vincent & Yuchen

Community Impacts

13 community members were engaged, contributing 41 hrs to environmental action!

62% visited Dickson Woods for the first time
15% removed invasive plants for the first time

11 participants completed a survey, and results showed:

91% felt inspired to take future environmental action
100% felt a sense of belonging & connection to others
100% felt their well-being improved
- 100% said time spent in nature contributed
- 82% said meeting people contributed
- 82% said helping the environment contributed
- 82% said being physically active contributed
91% increased their understanding of environmental issues
100% gained practical knowledge (e.g. what they can personally do to make an impact, about invasive and native species)
91% developed new skills (e.g. teamwork, hands-on environmental action)

Change starts with people. To have a lasting environmental impact, people need to feel connected, capable and empowered to take action.

Our activities are designed to increase:

Community resilience & social connection
Well-being through time in nature
Participation in climate & environmental action
Awareness of environmental issues
Connection to local places & natural areas
A culture of volunteerism & civic engagement

Environmental Impacts

3 cubic metres of invasive English ivy were removed (equivalent to the volume of 19 bathtubs!)
- We focused on removing any ivy that was missed during past removals to prepare the area to plant hundreds of native plants this fall!
- This meant careful searching and avoiding pulling native Trailing blackberry that had grown since our first removals!
167 square metres of habitat revitalized!

Highlights

Community members joined us from across Greater Victoria including from North Saanich, Sidney, Central Saanich, Langford, Victoria & Salt Spring Island!
- Environmental & social issues don’t have borders. By bringing together people from across the region, participants see others showing up to care for places beyond their own neighbourhoods. This reminds us that we share responsibility for the people & places around us, and that we’re all in this together.
We found so much Trailing blackberry growing in the area that wasn’t there when we first started working in this forest!
- This is one of the first native plants to come back when we remove invasive English ivy
- It was a great opportunity to learn how to identify the difference between this native plant and invasive ivy
It was a beautiful sunny weekend to celebrate the start of fall in the forest!
Maria, Isaac, Charles & Yuchen for came out to BOTH of our activities this weekend!
Many delicious snacks were enjoyed during our snack break, including carrot muffins, strawberry marshmallows, fresh pineapple, oranges and cucumbers, brownies, salt and vinegar chips, mango juice, sparkling water, fruit snacks, a variety of granola bars & more!
Special thank you to:
- Tamara for setting up snack break and supporting this activity!
- EVERYONE for helping pack up our vehicle

People of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and experience levels came out including students, working professionals, retirees, first timers, returning GVGTers and newcomers!
Some folks walked through the YYJ Pollinator Garden right across the street from this forest!
We’ve been working at Dickson Woods since fall 2025! Check out past activities below:

What Community Members Said

9 participants shared what this activity meant to them:

"I really enjoyed today and it was very meaningful to me as I got to meet new people, help out in the community, and restore the forest. Although it took some effort, the teamwork made it all worth it and i was very happy to of participated in this event :)"

"I had a great time, it felt good to get fresh air, exercise, talk with the community, and see how much progress we made as a team"

"It was awesome to come back and take the measure of actions that I was involved in."

"It is very meaningful for me, I learned how to remove plants and work with others."

"I met many great people and made some great connections. Working together at a shared goal is an excellent way to start conversation and learn about people's interests."

"Done this entire activity makes me feel comfortable and gain energy to do next activities. Makes me positive mind."

"Gratifying to see how the native trailing blackberry has occupied the space created by our previous efforts in removing English Ivy"

"This experience felt like it did good for my soul."

"It was really fun meeting new people."

Video of Makayla, speaking about (summarize the most stand out parts of their video)

Video of (name), speaking about (summarize the most stand out parts of their video)

Community Investment Partner

Delivered in partnership with the Victoria Airport Authority (VAA) our Community Investment Partner.

Green Teams of Canada and VAA are working together to achieve our shared environmental and community objectives.

VAA provides ecological direction, while we bring expertise in community engagement – mobilizing people to take meaningful environmental action and inspiring future stewardship.

This partnership includes financial investment from VAA to build connection, improve well-being, and create lasting environmental and community impact.

Special thanks to VAA staff Taylor for her valued contributions in bringing this activity to life!

Staff Who Made This Activity Possible

Our dedicated staff are passionate about community engagement and environmental action. Their work includes extensive outreach, activity logistics, social media, reporting on impacts, partnership building and MUCH more!

This activity was run by Ashton Kerr, our Director of Partnerships & Programs.

We Are All In This TOGETHER! The Future Depends on Us

The Greater Victoria Green Team is a program of the charity Green Teams of Canada, engaging communities in hands-on environmental action since 2014.

We bring people together to improve well-being and inspire environmental stewardship. Through activities like invasive plant removal, native species planting, and litter clean-ups, participants take practical action and see the impact they can make.

What sets us apart is our focus on people. Our activities are inclusive and accessible to all ages, abilities and experience levels, especially those new to environmental action. Many join for the first time, deepen their understanding of environmental issues and leave feeling capable and motivated to take future action.

We also strengthen and support the broader stewardship network by working with governmental agencies, non-profits, land trusts, volunteer-led groups, schools, and businesses, bringing new people into existing efforts and expanding their reach. Many participants go on to deepen their involvement, take on leadership roles, or contribute to other initiatives.

We believe lasting environmental change starts with people. By creating meaningful opportunities for people to take part, we help build more connected, resilient communities.

We can all make a difference!