There’s a patch of greenery nestled amongst rows of houses on the edge of Thetis Lake Regional Park and Mill Hill Regional Park along Lund Road. To passers by it might not look like much but local residents know it as an Indigenous burial ground and home to many native plants. Unfortunately, many of the native species are being choked out by invasive species such as Himalayan Blackberry, Daphne and Broom, forcing native species to compete for limited resources and threatening biodiversity. Thankfully on Sunday, August 30th, Greater Victoria Green Team volunteers gathered in partnership with the municipality of View Royal, including local Lund Road residents, to remove the invasive species that threaten the site. Our efforts were led by Habitat Restoration Project Coordinator Chris Junck who was instrumental in educating and directing our team’s efforts.
THANK YOU
Thank you to everyone for participating: Arthur, Simon, Raven, Tyson, Kevyn, Daisy, Richard, Julian, Teagan, Devin, Quin, Karycia, Bao, Zenen, Aaron, Clark, Paul, Alex, Chris and Edmund.
Thank you to the View Royal for continuing to support GVGT programs – it is because of you that we are able to invest in our community while supporting ecological restoration efforts.
Photo Albums from the day are found here: 1ST SESSION and 2ND SESSION
Group Photos (1st and 2nd sessions)!
Highlights
- In total 16 GVGT volunteers worked to remove Blackberry, Daphne and Broom, totalling more than 40 hours!
- An impressive 9 cubic metres of invasive species were removed from an area of 100 square metres!
- 11 people were introduced to the Lund Road site area and it was 6 people’s first time working with either Daphne, Broom or Blackberry.
- Thank you to our in-kind sponsors who donated thank you gifts to our community: EarthRated dog poop bags, Green Beaver chap stick, Lush hard perfume, Honey Candles and West Coast Seeds.
Participant Quotes
Honestly, the fact that people are doing SOMETHING to combat invasive species makes me feel really good that it’s not something that we’re just passively accepting. I like the idea of investing in the place where I live and I’m happy for this opportunity.
This was one of the most geographically diverse groups I can remember. We had participants from the island, the mainland, the interior… Alberta, Ontario, PEI, and Newfoundland…Vietnam, China, and Siberia! It’s a clear indication of how welcoming this group is, and how open all participants are to sharing a good cause with good people. For many of us, it is hard to meet new people and even harder to meet folks from a wide range of backgrounds. But here at the Green Team it is commonplace. Being able to do good work, share good feelings, and meet good people… such a gift.
Each Green Team event improves the ecosystem, either through the removal of invasive species or through the planting of native species, while also changing the values of the participants and the residents surrounding the rehabilitation site. Every time we go to a pocket park or a wild area in proximity to residential properties we have fruitful conversations about the value of natural space, the importance of green amongst the grey, and the impact that our work has on the community.
