The Garry oak meadows and fields of camas in Oak Bay's Uplands Park have been freed from some pesky intruders.
Volunteers with the Greater Victoria Green Team and Friends of Uplands Park Society converged on the park May 10 to remove 56 bathtubs (9 cubic metres) of invasive plants and dead wood debris, revitalizing 100 square metres of forest.
"Many Garry oak trees were freed from ivy vines climbing up their trunks and threatening their health," according to a release from Kaitlin Warren, program manager with the Greater Victoria Green Team.
The 29 volunteers spent the day removing invasive English ivy and invasive daphne plants, including a dozen who were making their first visit to the park along Beach Drive.
"Surrounded by blooming camas flowers, community members of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels became one with nature as they stepped into the forest to liberate many Garry oak trees from the choking grasp of ivy vines and from the forest floor," Warren said in the release.
The volunteers' efforts build on the continuing work of the Friends of Uplands Park. Group co-founder Margaret Lidkea joined in the effort to share her expertise and inspiring stories about the restoration work that has been happening in the park for over 30 years.
