VOLUNTEERS ARE UNCOVERING A CULTURAL HISTORY

Volunteers at Konukson Park are working hard to remove the dense mat of English ivy that has taken over much of the park. The picture on the right was taken on the front line of battle; the dramatic contrast between the foreground and background of the picture illustrates how much the volunteers are changing the plant community within the park. But the volunteers are uncovering more than just bare soil and the remnants of native ecosystems. They are also uncovering a cultural history that has been hidden from sight by decades of English ivy growth.

On the left, a number of rocks appear to have been deliberately placed and piled, suggesting that there may be First Nations gravesites in the park. As seen below, removing ivy has also revealed several small shell middens within the park. The park is close enough to the coast that it is likely First Nations brought freshly collected seafood into the forests where they were more protected from the elements of an exposed coastline.

Several cultural artifacts have also been found in the park. Norm Mogenson, a long time community volunteer (seen below), explains to the volunteer group what some of the bones found in the park were likely used for. Held in his left hand is a piece of bone that has been worked on either end and was likely used as a sheath to join the handle and cutting edge of an adz. Volunteers are respectful of this cultural history and have been careful not to disturb any of these cultural sites. Norm Mogenson has reported these findings to local archaeologists at the RBC Museum who in collaboration with First Nations members will be able to provide more detail about the cultural history of this area.

SAANICH NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAYGROUND PROGRAM: KIDS HELP RESTORE LOCAL PARKS

Every Friday kids from the Saanich Neighbourhood Playground Program have been getting down to work to help defend our urban parks from invasive plant invasion. The kids are working hard to remove English ivy from the park and many of them have become curious about other plants they are encountering in the process. Working in the park as a group has also acted to calm some of their fears about poisonous insects and plants.
The kids are proud of what they have been able to accomplish; 0ne child was overheard saying, "it feels good to help the park." On the right, some of the kids from Meadow Park proudly display a long piece of ivy that they were able to remove as one piece from the forest floor.
A highlight for the kids, and certainly the most rewarding part of the experience, is when all of the kids get together and pile all of the uprooted ivy onto a tarp and drag the plant debris out of the park. On the left, kids from Marigold Park get into the action dumping a large pile of ivy near the parking lot.

Although much of this activity is framed around increasing awareness about invasive species, the program also acts to re-connect kids with nature. It is our hope that the program will help kids gain a sense of appreciation and wonder for the natural world. If the younger generation believes that these natural areas have value, it is more likely they will be preserved and maintained for future generations. The kids below have no problem in participating in a photo opportunity to show off all of their hard work.

VOLUNTEERS COMPETE AGAINST THE RELENTLESS GROWTH OF ENGLISH HOLLY

Mt. Douglas Park is being invaded by invasive plants and English holly is certainly one of the species at the top of the priority list for members of the Friends of Mt. Douglas Park Society. This thirsty, aggressive evergreen tree (seen on the right) quickly displaces native flora by creating a dense overhead canopy and, where opportunity exists, will also produce a thick ground cover reducing available light for native vegetation. For safety and liability reasons, Saanich Parks does not permit registered volunteers the use of power tools when removing invasive species in the park. With only hand tools at their disposal, controlling the spread of English Holly becomes a hard days labor for volunteers. David Poje, a registered volunteer with the Friends of Mt. Douglas Park Society (seen on the left) is getting ready to haul a large holly shrub out to one of the main park trails for pickup and removal by Saanich staff.

Holly is capable of sending out vertical, fast growing shoots from its stems and trunk and lateral stems that run along the ground and root, even after being cut down, making it very difficult to control the spread of this plant. However, long time volunteer, John Jungen, has for years been experimenting with different cutting/de-barking techniques to control the relentless growth of English holly. Although it is still too early to tell, results from trials done last fall appear to be showing some signs of success and the new method of holly control may be an option in the future. All restoration activities conducted by registered volunteers are guided/supervised by Saanich Parks staff. Staff convey directions through a volunteer lead steward attached to each group working in a park. The lead steward is tasked with ensuring work methods employed by volunteer's meet Saanich Parks requirements, policies and bylaws.

KIDS BECOME ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDS OF SAANICH PARKS

This week kids at Meadow and Marigold Park were introduced to the dangers invasive plants pose to our parks and communities. As part of Saanich's Neighbourhood Playground Program, time will be spent each week with the kids helping them learn about the variety of native plants that compose the park vegetation and the habitat these areas provide for wildlife and how they are affected by invasive plants. The activity will not only be educational but will also act to reconnect children with nature by allowing the kids to get involved and become stewards of an urban park.

On the left, kids at Marigold Park pass around samples of common invasive and native plants while being told what types of characteristics they can look for when trying to tell the difference between native and invasive species.



On the right, kids at Meadow Park listen attentively while inspecting many of the plants they will be encountering next week. The kids will be removing several invasive species including: English ivy, Scotch broom, daphne, English holly and Himalayan blackberry.

Each week the kids will be given a challenge to remove all of the invasive plants from a particular area of the park. Having learned how to identify invasive plants and knowing that they threaten local biodiversity and have impacts on the natural processes that maintain critical habitat, the kids will better understand the importance of the work they will be doing. Removing these plants will require hard work, cooperation and will hopefully encourage kids to take ownership and responsibility for the health of our local parks.

BROOM BASH AT KONUKSON PARK

This week volunteers at Konukson Park rescued a patch of a Garry oak habitat from being over-run with Scotch broom. Volunteers arrived just in time to remove the broom before it set seed. The seeds from Scotch broom are capable of germinating after lying dormant for 50-80 years in the soil. Maintaining a consistent long-term monitoring and removal program that depletes the seed bank is one of the biggest challenges in controlling Scotch broom.

This year the volunteers are beginning their own monitoring program using repeat photography to capture the changes in vegetation over time as they work throughout the park removing invasive plants. These before and after photos on the right are an example of the photo monitoring that is currently taking place in the park. The pictures will provide a visual reference of the plant community that existed before volunteers began removing invasive plants. The pictures will also show how effective the removal methods have been and how quickly native plant species begin to re-colonize the new habitat.

The volunteers seen below stand proudly next to a Garry oak that was rescued after a long day of battling broom in the summer sun.

GREAT WORK VOLUNTEERS!

VOLUNTEERS HARD AT WORK DESPITE THE SUMMER HEAT

Volunteers at Mt. Douglas Park fought off the summer heat this week while digging out Himalayan blackberry at the Cedar Hill Road entrance to the park. Shown in the picture below, the invasive blackberry is capable of re-sprouting from segments of root or from the root ball. The site was cleared in 2007 (see picture at right) and each summer volunteers return to the area to remove any Himalayan blackberry that is re-sprouting.


Other restoration activities include the spreading of mulch over the area to improve soil conditions and the planting of several native species. Many of these plants have been caged in order to protect them from browsing by deer. The picture on the right was taken in July 2009 and shows many of the native species including: Garry oak, arbutus, ocean spray, snowberry, Oregon grape, flowering currant, woolly sunflower, and nodding onion (seen below).

INVASIVE PLANTS INVADE ENDANGERED ECOSYSTEMS

The Friends of Mt. Douglas Park Society, a volunteer stewardship group working to protect the park from invasive plant invasion, welcomed Amelita Kucher and a keen group of 55 grade ten students from Mt. Douglas High School. A nature walk through the park was a nice supplement to their curricular unit on ecosystems and students were able to see first hand how invasive plants are negatively affecting the native ecosystems. Many of the kids were impressed by size of the old growth Coastal Douglas-fir trees, which at one time dominated the landscape. The youths took their turn at removing a variety of invasive plants including: yellow archangel, Scotch broom and English ivy.

Thanks to the students of Mt. Douglas High School for all your hard work! Special thanks to Judy Spearing and Dick Battles from The Friends of Mt. Douglas Park Society for making this trip possible.

The public outreach continued at Campus View Elementary where three classrooms were given presentations intending to raise awareness about invasive plants in our area and their detrimental impacts. The kids, ranging from grades two to four, were full of questions and enjoyed examining the native and invasive plant samples brought to the classroom. After lunch, Bill Dancer, member of the Victoria Natural History Society, arranged a field trip to Mt. Tolmie. The trip was organized as a scavenger hunt, each student having to see, smell, or touch different species of flowers, insects, birds or grasses. The kids spotted several bird species and many native flowers including the Harvest Brodiaea seen below. It was also a perfect location to show students how invasive plants, such as Himalayan blackberry seen in the foreground of the picture below, are impacting Garry Oak ecosystems.

Thanks to the students of Campus View Elementary for being such good listeners!