The Greater Victoria Green Team engaged 38 community members at Pit House Park in Colwood. We removed Scotch broom and Himalayan blackberry from this apple orchard that abuts the Esquimalt Lagoon, an important migratory bird sanctuary in this region. The invasive species have been crowding and shading out the native wildflowers and shrubs. Himalayan blackberry can produce 8,000 seeds per square metre, and Scotch broom can produce 30,000 seeds per plant. The seeds can live up to 30 years in the seed bank! By removing the invasive plants, we are helping the native vegetation regenerate. A special thank you to Gord Beauvillier, the Foreman of Parks who helped coordinate this activity.

THANK YOU

Thank-you to everyone for participating: David, Roy, Richard, Lori, Sara, Artem, Olga, Judy, Rachel, Leslie, Amy, Remi, Kaia, Bill, Melissa, Tristan, Jade, Leo, Jason, Chloe, Pam, Grace, Rosana, Gia, Mieka, Emma, Ine, Sophie, Charlotte, Martina, Ernancy, Hannah, Brighten, Mohammad, Jason and City Councillors, Gordie Logan, Dean Jantzen, and Mayor Rob Martin!

Thank-you very much to the City of Colwood for partnering with us and contributing to our Green Team activities and for recognizing the importance of collaboration in community engagement and ecological restoration!

Group Photo!

Check out ALL PHOTOS from the day HERE

Highlights

• In total 38 volunteers participated and contributed to 102 volunteer hours!
• 23 volunteers were introduced to Pit House Park while 14 volunteers had never removed invasive species before!
• We removed 11 cubic metres of invasive plants and 1 pound of garbage!
• We saw a Bald Eagle!
• Mayor Rob Martin brought cinnamon buns and coffee from Royal Bakery for all of the community members!
• Previous GVGT events at this park:
  • July 3, 2021
  • April 26, 2019

Before and After

This activity not only benefitted the environment, but also the participants themselves. 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

Action Shots

Volunteers Enjoying In-kind Gifts from Abeego and Salt Spring Coffee

Volunteer Testimonials

“(I liked) seeing results as we worked, being outdoors, lunch-break and feeling welcomed.” – Ine

“Everyone was out today, (of all ages) and if everyone in the community comes out to help, we can definitely make the community better.” – Mohammad

“Without green team facilitating and bringing people together, spaces like this would be destroyed by invasive species” – Lori

“Meeting new people was definitely my favourite part, and knowing I was helping out the community was also a bonus. This program helped me realize that it’s important to help out the community because there are many problems, and we all need to help out to really make a difference.” – Hannah