Invasive Species Removal at UVic Queenswood Campus, April 2, 2023!
The Greater Victoria Green Team spent the day engaging 33 community members from all over the Greater Victoria region to remove invasive English ivy, Daphne, English holly, Scotch broom, periwinkle, and Himalayan blackberry at UVic’s Queenswood Campus! This was our 10th visit to this location.
Group Photo!
Highlights
- In total 33 community members participated and contributed 104 volunteer hours!
- We removed 25 cubic metres of invasive plants (equivalent to the volume of about 155 bathtubs!) and revitalized about 500 square metres of the forest!
- We removed about 5 pounds of garbage!
- 22 community members were introduced to this location for the very first time!
- 13 people learned about and removed invasive plants for the very first time!
THANK YOU
Thank you to everyone for participating: Ari, Cera, Danial, Kitty, Zoe, Liam, Sophia, Ethan, Catherine, Jolene, Hayley, Trevor, Dylan, Ashley, Kelly, Ty, Blythe, Daniil, Rouhan, Erina, Luc, Leo, Jaeden, Liam, Kai, Maya, Parker, Jeanette, Haruki, Nuria, Jacqueline, Melissa, and John!
Thank-you very much to the UVic office of Campus Planning and Sustainability for partnering with us and contributing to our Green Team activities! Thank you for recognizing the importance of collaboration in community engagement and ecological restoration!
Invasive species like English Ivy, Daphne, English Holly, Scotch broom, periwinkle, and Himalayan Blackberry have been crowding and shading out the native understory and threatening the trees growing on Queenswood Campus. Ivy can smother trees by competing with them for nutrients and light, which makes the trees weaker and more susceptible to fall. This is the Greater Victoria Green Team’s 10th visit to Queenswood Campus, and the difference we’ve made is truly inspiring! Native species like Trailing Blackberry and Oregon Grape are starting to grow in places that used to be covered in ivy.
Equally inspiring is seeing just how many people come out to tackle invasive species in this forest! Community members of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds came together on Sunday to connect with each other and with nature. It is truly amazing to see so many people working together towards a goal, all while having fun and making new friends!
Before… and After!
By being out in nature doing something positive as a team, our community members:
- Develop a sense of belonging to community and place
- Have improved mental and physical health
- Connect to nature, which leads to environmentally responsible behaviour
- Learn about local environmental issues and actions they can take
- Learn the value of bringing together people to work towards a common goal
- Become leaders in their communities
- Increase confidence, resilience and perseverance
Volunteer Testimonials
“I enjoyed making a difference and forging a sense of community and responsibility. More important than the direct benefits of removing invasive species is the sense of collective responsibility to our environment that is cultivated by getting people out to contribute together.”
– Ty
“Removing invasive species with hands using body strength felt refreshing; it was great for getting away my stress. Everyone was chill and willing to help. The snacks was better prepared than what I thought and they tasted great!”
– Sophia
“I could really see the impact of the days work, socializing , being outdoors. After the event was over we went to look at the areas we had previously worked on and we were impressed by our impact on removing invasive species.”
– Blythe
“I really enjoyed the time I have spent outdoors, for it really made me feel relaxed and connected to nature. I would definitely volunteer here again.”
– Zoe
“Restoring landscape in a group is a healing practice that combines all the mental and physical health benefits of caregiving, being outdoors in nature, physical exercise, and cooperative social interactions. The ecological benefits for our native landscapes are the impetus to perform this activity, but I believe the volunteers benefit most of all.”
– Kelly
“I enjoyed the opportunity to learn.”
– Dylan
Community In Action!
Thank you to the fantastic local eco-friendly business LUSH that donated In-kind products for our hard-working community members to take home!
Our community members took home a thank you gift from one of our in-kind supporters! If you have any suggestions for sustainable/eco-friendly rewards, know of or own a business who would like to provide in-kind to our Green Team, please contact Kaitlin at kaitlin@greenteamscanada.ca
