Thank you to Ms. Hemus and her grade 4/5 students for participating in this activity! Alessio, Emma, Avram, Hadley, Aspen, Noah, Parsa, Cyrus, Theo, Layla, & Maya!
Thank you to Ms. Leger her grade 3 students for participating in this activity! Ruby, Pearl, James, Solomon, Kathryn, Alex, Cruz, Hendricks, Sam, Grayson, Ava, Dante, Nathan, Zoe, Norah, Seerat, Charlie, Ryan, Leia, JJ, & Kathryn!
Students had a fun time working together outside in nature to restore habitat!
Impacts
- 39 students, 2 teachers & 5 parents joined us to learn about how to take care of the environment, remove invasive plants and help improve the health of this beautiful park
- 64 hours contributed to habitat restoration
- 10 cubic metres (approximately 62 bathtubs!) of invasive Himalayan blackberry and English ivy was removed
- Countless smiles, laughter, and cheers of accomplishment were share
Highlights
- Grade 3–5 students from View Royal Elementary (which has been around since 1949 and is a school that believes strongly in students learning in nature!) walked down from their school through the neighbourhood to participate in hands-on ecological restoration at View Royal Park
- Despite a light drizzle, the rain mostly held off, making for a fun, nature-filled day of teamwork , connecting to nature and learning about ecology, invasive species, and native plants.
- Students worked in teams to dig out invasive Himalayan blackberry roots
- They also removed patches of English ivy, helping to uncover and restore native shrubs beneath.
- As invasive plants were removed, native species like snowberry, Nootka rose, salal, and native trailing blackberry were revealed and given space to thrive
- The students expressed a strong sense of impact on video (scroll down!), some joked they’d be “famous now” because of their good work
- Local passersbys stopped to thank the students, showing community appreciation for their efforts.
- Chris, the View Royal Habitat Restoration Coordinator, provided ecological expertise, guidance, and support throughout the activity and he was awesome!
- The intergenerational impact: by involving youth annually, students can return to see how their past efforts have shaped the park over time
- The activity reinforced a long-standing, meaningful partnership between Green Teams of Canada and the Town of View Royal, demonstrating how working together yields community and environmental benefits.
- Engaging youth now plants the seeds for future environmental leaders.
What Participants Said
Ava & Ryan talking about how they decided to help the environment
Alex & Solomon talking about having fun cutting back invasive plants
Leia & Kathryn talking about helping the Green Team cutting back invasive blackberry
Theo, Avram & Cyrus talking about how hard they worked together to pull out the monstrosity (blackberry 🙂
Hadley talking about learning that Himalayan blackberry are an invasive species
Noah talking about how blackberry re-roots at the tip
Parsa, Noah, Simon & Hadley talking about what they learned today!
Community Investment Partner
Thank you for partnering with us Town of View Royal (Ivan, Dave, Chris & Carolyn).
The Town of View Royal’s ecological expertise and strategic direction, aligned with the Town’s Official Community Plan, Urban Forest Strategy, Community Climate Action Strategy, and Strategic Plan, paired with our community-engagement leadership makes our activities much more impactful !
Together, we’re creating opportunities for community members of all ages to take part in hands-on environmental stewardship, deepen their connection to local green spaces, and contribute to the long-term health and resilience of the community.
Email Chris at restorevr@gmail.com to become a View Royal Habitat Restoration volunteer. For more info go to: View Royal Environmental stewardship.
Why We Do This Work
The Greater Victoria Green Team organizes hands-on educational activities that have a positive environmental impact to empower people. Through activities such as invasive plant removals, plantings, litter cleanups and more, we are fostering connections with others and nature so that health and well-being is prioritized, lifelong environmental stewardship is promoted, and community members are enabled to take care of themselves, each other and the places they live. We all have the power to make a difference!
We all experience mental and physical health benefits from spending time in nature, including reduced stress and anxiety, and improved mood, focus, memory and more. While doing so, we can also have a positive impact on the environment as demonstrated through this activity!
Staff Who Made This Activity Possible
Our dedicated team is passionate about creating engaging, high-quality activities that foster a sense of belonging, connection to nature while raising environmental awareness. We strive to make a positive impact on our environment and to build a thriving community that cares for it.
This activity was run by Green Teams of Canada’s Founder and Executive Director, Lyda.
Partnerships Manager, Kaitlin Warren, supported this activity behind the scenes.