Invasive Species Removal in Macaulay Point Park, May 6, 2023!
The Greater Victoria Green Team spent the day engaging 27 community members from all over the Greater Victoria region to remove invasive Himalayan blackberry, English ivy, and English holly from scenic Macaulay Point Park.
Group Photo!
Highlights
- In total 27 community members participated and contributed to more than 70 volunteer hours!
- We removed 25 cubic metres of invasive plants (equivalent to the volume of about 155 bathtubs!) and revitalized about 200 square metres of the forest!
- 10 community members were introduced to this location for the very first time!
- 7 people learned about and removed invasive plants for the very first time!
THANK YOU
Thank you to everyone for participating: Olivia, Evelyn, Aaron, Yoshiki, Wayne, Kiersten, Jonathan, Jordan, Joey, Rhianedd, Becca, Tallia, Christopher, Tella, Blake, Oliver, Carolyne, Shirley, Blythe, Sarah, Kaito, Melissa, Layanna, Qurratul and Ian!
Thank you to The Township of Esquimalt 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 Himalayan Blackberry, English ivy, and English holly have been crowding and shading out the native understory and threatening the native shrubs and trees growing in this park. Himalayan blackberry grows up and over other plants, crowding out and monopolizing resources from other plants. When we cut back the invasive blackberry we saw a lot of native rose plants that are now able to grow bigger and stronger with more space and access to light and soil nutrients. We also tackled some ivy in the understory of this park. Ivy can smother trees by competing with them for nutrients and light, which makes the trees weaker and more susceptible to fall.
Not only did we have an awesome environmental impact, but we had so much fun working together in the beautiful spring weather! Community members of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds came together on Saturday 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
“The impact on the ecosystem is obvious in the before and after photos but I think the biggest impact is getting community members engaged in this work. It makes people feel like they have an impact on their environment and community which has long term positive effects in people’s day to day lives.”
– Carolyne
“Beautiful location and was given clear instruction on the invasive species we needed to remove as well as the native plants we needed to protect. The program chooses popular destination where invasive species threat native plants and so the work we do is beneficial to the local eco system. Also by removing invasive species, we allow the public to enjoy and appreciate these native plants.”
– Rhianedd
Community In Action!
Thank you to the fantastic local eco-friendly businesses Ola Bamboo and 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
