January 12 2024

As Heather shows us around her property in the Highlands, it’s clear to see that she’s passionate about taking care of the land. She has been living here for over 30 years, and she has noticed changes happening over time – invasive species have established themselves where native wildflowers used to grow, and bird species that used to be abundant visit less often now.

Like many others in her neighbourhood, Heather’s property has remnants of Garry oak ecosystem – a rare and important ecosystem that faces threats including invasive species and habitat loss. In Canada, only 3% of Garry oak areas remain in their natural state (CRD, 2021). For the past three years, HAT’s Good Neighbours program has been focusing on the restoration and conservation of these special places on private land.

Heather has been a Habitat Steward with the Good Neighbours program since 2022. She first got involved in the program because she was inspired by her neighbours, who were working on removing invasive species from their property. She noticed that she had daphne, Scotch broom, English ivy, and Himalayan blackberry on her land and came to HAT for advice.

The Good Neighbours team did an initial site visit at Heather’s property and wrote up a site report to help guide her stewardship work, breaking down the property into manageable sections and giving advice on invasive species removal, planting, and other restoration. The team has returned to Heather’s property five times to help remove invasive species including Scotch broom, Himalayan blackberry, English ivy, and daphne. HAT also hosted a yellow flag iris workshop on Heather’s property for the neighbours in the area to learn how to manage the invasive pond species.

When asked her favourite thing about being involved in the Good Neighbours program, Heather says, “I really appreciate the support that I get…..removing the invasives; the seeds, and native plants you’ve given me; and all the information and the encouragement.”

Since learning about the Good Neighbours program, Heather has encouraged others in her community to connect with HAT, and in doing so has promoted restoration and conservation in her area. She says, “It has been really nice to see HAT approaching other landowners in the area.... It’s encouraging to see those [Habitat Steward] signs when you go down our road and to know that other people share the same values, because this area has such a history of the Garry oak ecosystem, and it’s being taken away at a rapid rate. Seeing that there are people who value this native ecosystem tells me there’s hope that it will be brought back.”

Are you interested in getting involved in the Good Neighbours program? Fill out our landcare visit request form, email emily@hat.bc.ca, or call our office at (250) 995-2428.

We would like to thank our funders for making this program possible:

Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Victoria Foundation, Metchosin Foundation, Clean Foundation, and private donations from people like you. To support this program, visit hat.bc.ca/donate