The Greater Victoria Green Team organized a safe and fun, eco-volunteer activity at Portage Park in View Royal! We focused on removing ivy growing in native trees and shrubs, plus a lot of Daphne. We also followed careful health and safety guidelines to keep our community safe!
THANK YOU
Thank-you to everyone for participating: Alex, Alwyn, Andre, Barbara, Cathie, Conway, Elijah, Elle, Helena, Jarrett, Lisa, Matt, Narada (Thomas), Peter, Raven, Riley, Robyn (and Grace and Josiah), Storm, Simon (and Sebastian and Oliver) and Terra!
Thank-you very much to the Town of View Royal for partnering with us and contributing to our Green Team activities in your municipality and for recognizing the importance of collaboration in community engagement and ecological restoration!
Morning Session
Afternoon Session
PHOTO ALBUM FROM THE EVENT IS FOUND HERE (morning session) AND HERE (afternoon session)
Highlights
- In total, over 2 short sessions, 26 volunteers participated and contributed 51 volunteer hours
- 16 of our GVGT volunteers had never been to Portage Park before, while 6 had never removed English Ivy before!
- We removed 7 cubic metres of invasive plants from an area measuring approximately 150 square metres!
Before and After
Volunteer Quotes
This program is especially important during the COVD-19 pandemic when we all are feeling a little helpless, a little isolated, and a little at sea. We have all heard about how the natural world is healing during this time, how even a small respite from human activity opens a door to a healthier environment. By entering that environment with the Green Team we are adding to the attempts to heal. Rather than being helpless to respond to a changing world we have agency, we take action in support of the world and show that human influence doesn’t have to be negative. These programs work against isolation; even though we remain safe and physically distant we are together and feel the companionship of good people, good work. Most important, at least to me, is the anchor this program provides to the real world. We have all been forced into a largely mediated experience of the environment, made even more so by the pandemic and our inability to engage physically with our surroundings. These programs, this experience is the antidote to social and ecological isolation. This keeps us sane and hopeful, it brings joy into our lives and connection back to our hearts.
Volunteers in Action (Morning Session)
Volunteers in Action (Afternoon Session)
