Last Sunday, November 8th, 2020 the Greater Victoria Green Team brought together 33 community members from across the CRD to pull English Ivy from UVic Mystic Vale. It was a cold day- the kind of cold that works its way into your bones! Luckily our volunteers’ upbeat spirits, positivity and dedication to the project made the day feel warmer and the sun shine a little brighter. Our efforts were led by Director of Restoration of Natural Systems and UVic Professor Nancy Shackelford and UVic’s Ecological Restoration Club leader John Kang who are leading a photo monitoring project to track how the Vale is responding to the ivy being removed. Specifically, the project is tracking how quickly the ivy regrows and what native species return. The GVGT and UVic are thankful for the help from our volunteers on this incredible project – it wouldn’t be possible without you!
THANK YOU
Thank you to our volunteers: Richard, Tyson, Teja, Geraldine, Alexi, Peter, Morena, Tara, Roy, Ellen, Fiona, Rika, Galaad, Vicki, Laura, Ayako, Denise, Jessica, Chloe, Jorge, Emily, Kathleen, Morgan, Lea, Dalyce, Barb, Andre, Oliver, Hong, Hellen, Victoria and Lily.
Thank you to the University of Victoria for your continued support! Environmental stewardship is a collaborative effort and we appreciate your dedication and effort restoring the Vale.
A Photo Albums from the day are found here: 1st Session & 2nd Session!
Group Photos!
Highlights
- In total 32 GVGT volunteers came out and removed 8 cubic metres of English Ivy. Our efforts totalled more than 63 volunteer hours!
- 9 people were introduced to the park and 10 people had never removed English Ivy before!
- Volunteers were positive, enthusiastic and we had a hard time pulling them away from the work site!
Participant Quotes
It felt like very important work that will (hopefully) leave a lasting impact on the environment. I felt like a part of a larger purpose! Very chill and great people!
This program connects you more deeply with the natural surroundings you often meander through and empowers you to do more. Sometimes we pride ourselves on caring yet our not sure how to show it, and donations are not the most fulfilling rewards to providing assistance – physical action is!
I loved being outdoors with some great people and doing good for the environment. I feel like we’re making a difference (even if it’s in a small way) and building a kind of community with a common goal of environmental restoration. I would love to be able to do it a lot more often!
Habitat restoration by removing invasive species is important for the sustainability and thriving of native plants.
This program gives me a sense of contribution and community. Helping the Earth is so important to me. Thank you.
This program saves trees and native species from invasive plants, thus helping our natural environment to thrive again and contributing to the restoration of green habitat that cities tend to take over. We need to save/help/maintain more (mature) trees which counteract the greenhouse gases that are warming our Earth.
I appreciate the excellent communication and information shared and acknowledgment of the land I have always felt welcomed and valued as a volunteer and I like having the tools and gloves provided at each site. I really don’t know how you could improve the experience for me I’m quite enjoying myself ? I am so happy that I found out about this program!
Every community should have this opportunity to connect with the land and learn about the environment.
It was my first volunteer experience in Victoria and it was very good! Everything was set up, gear was provided and everyone was very welcoming!
Volunteers in Action
