Youth Activity! Invasive Species Removal at Aldersmith Park, View Royal, on November 2 2022
Highlights
- 76 students, 4 teachers and 8 parent volunteers from Eagle View Elementary School joined us and contributed 121 volunteer hours total
- Thank you so much for your hard work and for making this day amazing: Mr. Rutherford’s Grade 4/5 class, Mr. Nast’s Grade 4/5 class, Ms. Brain’s Grade 4/5 class, Ms. Dann’s Grade 1 class, and all the parent volunteers!
- 5.5 cubic metres of invasive species were removed!
- Species removed included Himalayan Blackberry, English Ivy, and a bit of English Holly!
- An area of 50 metres squared had invasive plants removed from it and was revitalized thanks to the hard work of the Eagle View Elementary students!
Thank you to the Town of View Royal for partnering with us! Their support made this activity possible.
Extra thank you to Chris, View Royal’s habitat restoration coordinator, for helping us facilitate!
Before & After Photos
On Wednesday November 2, 2022, the Greater Victoria Green Team and the Town of View Royal partnered up to host a youth activity for Eagle View Elementary School! 76 students, their teachers, and parents volunteers spent a fun day removing invasive Himalayan Blackberry and English Ivy from Aldersmith Park, right beside their school. Their efforts have helped revitalize the habitat in this local park, and the students learned a lot about invasive species, identifying different plants, and the importance of environmental stewardship.
By learning about environmental issues such as those caused by invasive species in a hands-on way, communities are better equipped to tackle such problems. Additionally, participating students gained new skills and were able to experience the benefits of being out in nature including reduced levels of stress and anxiety, and improved moody, memory, focus and mental clarity. Not to mention the great physical exercise everyone got while restoring the area! By connecting people to nature, we help instil responsible environmental behaviour that extends beyond our activities.
This activity was led by the Greater Victoria Green Team‘s Program Manager, Maria Varem and Program Coordinator, Kaitlin Warren.
Maria and Kaitlin have both been hired as part of Green Teams of Canada‘s Youth Leadership Program, and are gaining hands-on experience organizing and leading communities, and are also helping strengthen and build our organization!
