On Saturday, August 29th, a whopping 35 Greater Victoria Green Team volunteers gathered in UVic Mystic Vale to remove the English Ivy attempting to choke out native species. Our efforts were led by Restoration of Natural Systems Director Nancy Shackelford and co-op student and UVic’s Ecological Restoration Club leader John Kang who have designed a photo monitoring project to track the growth and spread of English Ivy. Together we cleared an area of 480 square metres and removed over 5 cubic meters of English Ivy! It was a rewarding day and we retired our efforts feeling accomplished and tuckered out!
THANK YOU
Thank you to everyone for participating: Nancy, John, Larissa, Tyson, Teresa, Thaiss, Tara, Colin, Richard, Amanda, Rachel, Daisy, Matthew, Margaret, Lucas, Hailin, Liam, Grace, Helena, David, Kelli, Julian, Jennifer, Julianne, Jules, Frank, Emily, Daniel, Catherine, Elaine, Barbara, Arthur, Anu, Andre, and Adam.
Thank you to the University of Victoria for continuing to support and contribute to 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 35 GVGT volunteers worked to remove English Ivy, totalling more than 76 hours!
- An impressive 5 cubic metres of invasive English Ivy was removed from an area of 480 square metres!
- 13 people were introduced to UVic Mystic Vale and 16 people had never removed English Ivy before.
- Many volunteers reported feeling a sense of accomplishment after participating
- Similarly, volunteers reported feeling welcomed and appreciated as well as safe.
- 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 and West Coast Seeds.
Participant Quotes
Removing the English ivy was not only satisfying but also rewarding. All wonderful people.
GVGT has a nice quiet vibe of like minded folks.
Greater Victoria Green Teams has welcomed me with open arms and I look forward to volunteering again, excited even! It is wonderful to find a community that shares your values and aligns with your purpose: community engagement and environmental stewardship.
