The Greater Victoria Green Team is back at work clearing English ivy from View Royal's Portage Park.
Over the course of two days, the team set out to remove as much of the invasive plant as possible. The effort marked the kickoff of the team's early spring activities by engaging a group of 38 Grade 6 students on Feb. 28.
“These students did a fantastic job and demonstrated their commitment to being better stewards of the environment,” program manager Kaitlin Warren said in a press release.
The team returned March 1, with 42 community members to continue the job. After a combined 185 hours of work, the team was able to remove 28 cubic metres of invasive plant material from the park and its forest. The effort not only helped to restore the area but brought 28 members of the community to the park for the first time, with 13 people removing invasive plants for the first time.
“This is a huge win, and everyone was feeling incredibly proud of their accomplishments as a team,” Warren said.
The Green Team's efforts were made possible thanks to a partnership between the Town of View Royal and Green Teams Canada.
“Combining the town's financial support, direction and local expertise with our community engagement expertise is enabling us to achieve our common goals,” said Warren, who highlighted goals of supporting meaningful community engagement, youth programs, increasing biodiversity and promoting habitat restoration.
The team will now set their sights on the University of Victoria, where they will engage 50 local students in an invasive plant removal effort on March. 6, and invite the wider community to join in on the effort on March. 9.
