Sunday March 19, 2023 | COLWOOD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Ocean View Park in Colwood underwent another visit from the Greater Victoria Green Team yesterday. This was the environmental organization’s fifth visit to the park to remove invasive species of plants.
Their team of 26 community members reportedly removed 19 cubic metres of invasive Himalayan blackberry, English ivy, Daphne, and English holly from the forest. Apparently that’s the equivalent in volume to about 120 bathtubs. They also removed seven pounds of litter from the woods. An area of about 100 sq m had invasive plants removed, which allows for revitalization.
Participants included City of Colwood Councillors David Grove, Dean Jantzen, and Ian Ward, as well as families and residents from all over the CRD, members from up island, international exchange students, and travellers from Japan.
Among Saturday’s team, 18 participants were visiting Ocean view Park for the first time, and 10 participants removed invasive plants for the first time.
Some comments from the day:
- “I feel this work is some of the most valuable for the dollars the City of Colwood could possibly hope for and receive,” said Colwood Councillor David Grove.
- “Four of us came in on the bus together and five of us went home together. We accomplished a lot. There was a lot of teamwork today,” said one participant.
- “I have been here six months and this volunteer work became my good experience in Canada! Thank you so much!” says an exchange student here from Japan, attending Royal Bay Secondary School.
See more about the March 18, 2023 Greater Victoria Green Team Colwood experience.
Upcoming Green Team events:
- Oaklands Community Association – Friday March 24
- Knockan Phill Park, in partnership with the Town View Royal – Saturday April 1
- UVic Queenswood Campus in partnership with the UVic Campus Planning and Sustainability Dept – Sunday April 2
