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!

STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF INVASIVE PLANTS

Last week was another busy week with kids of all ages learning about invasive plants. Presentations were given to kids ranging from grade two to grade ten. Margi Ransford and her grade seven class from Cedar Hill Middle School was the first to learn about invasive plants. After a class presentation and an exercise aimed at practicing native and invasive plant identification, the class walked to Mt. Douglas Park where they put their new-found knowledge to practice.














After a tour of the park, the students rolled up their sleeves and got down to work. The kids stripped away the ivy finding native plants and a few interesting creatures in the process.











Thanks to the students from Cedar Hill Middle School for all your hard work!

LAKE HILL ELEMENTARY PROTECTS KONUKSON PARK FROM ENGLISH IVY INVASION

Last week the other class from Lake Hill Elementary School was able to take their turn at exploring Konukson Park while learning about endangered Garry Oak and Coastal Douglas Fir ecosystems. By taking part in the rigorous task of removing English ivy from the park, the kids were able to appreciate the importance of protecting these endangered ecosystems from the invasion of invasive plants.












Students could hardly wait to put on their gloves and begin their battle with English ivy. The ivy did not accept defeat easily and students were often forced to work in teams to uproot the plants' strong hold on the forest floor.

Thanks to the students of Lake Hill Elementary for all the hard work!

SAANICH PARKS - PUBLIC EDUCATION WITH LAKE HILL ELEMENTARY

As part of their commitment to raising public awareness about invasive plants, ICOR provided in-class presentations for two grade four-five split classes at Lake Hill Elementary School this week. The kids learned about the negative impacts invasive plants have on local ecosystems and our communities. The kids enjoyed hands on activities that taught them how to distinguish native plants from several of the invasive plants that are causing the most harm in Saanich Parks.











The education continued at Konukson Park where one of the classes was taken on a tour of the park highlighting many of the park's special places, plants and animals. The kids were able to see how invasive plants like English ivy, Scotch broom and English holly are displacing native species and reducing the biodiversity of the park. Afterward the kids were able to get involved by helping the community stewardship group (The Cadboro Bay Residents Association) by removing English ivy from the park.

Thanks to the students of Lake Hill Elementary for all the hard work!

SAANICH PARKS - VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC

This week provided great weather for volunteers working to remove invasive species in Saanich Parks. In Mt. Douglas Park, volunteers carried on the tedious work of removing garlic mustard from the south end of the park. Garlic mustard is an invasive plant that is a relative newcomer to the island; as a result it is being handled according to early detection and rapid response principles. Fortunately, with the help of volunteers the species appears to be contained to the south side of the park and the population has declined since last season.

The release of roughly 50,000 chum fry into Douglas Creek scheduled for this Saturday was cancelled after Bob Bridgeman, longtime stream restoration volunteer, identified that a spill somewhere in the watershed had contaminated the creek's water. Some 5000 private properties are included within the 524 hectare watershed and much of the storm and drain water enters the creek unfiltered. There is hope that the water quality will improve and the event is tentatively scheduled for 11:00am on Saturday May 30th.

In Konukson Park the Cadboro Bay Residents Association continued their ongoing battle with English ivy. Although removing English ivy from the park is a slow process, seeing the re-growth of native plants in areas that were cleared last year is keeping the group motivated.

Anna’s Hummingbird
Although normally recognized by their bonze metallic green color and the male’s showy iridescent red coloring around the throat and head, this juvenile with its less spectacular plumage was caught resting in Konukson Park in the third week of May. Anna’s hummingbirds consume more insects than any other North American hummingbird and like other hummingbirds they have a high metabolic rate, their hearts beating at a staggering 1260 beats per minute.

Coastal Chocolate-Tips (Fern Leaved Desert Parsley)
Coastal Chocolate-tips are a red listed species with only 13 populations known in Canada. The reddish-maroon flowers of this plants compound umbel were caught in the afternoon sunlight at Mt. Douglas Park. Please be careful not to disturb this endangered plant.

Humingbird Photo: Amy Medve
Chocolate Tips: Cain van Cadsand