Ivy Place Greenway
This blog would not be possible without help from Ludo Bertsch.
A community-based project aimed to enhance and restore the natural ecology is underway at the Ivy Place Greenway in Oaklands. Work on site started in Aug 2015 and native plants went into the ground in Nov 2015. With the help of local neighbours and community members, Native garden designer Pat Johnston, Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT) and IslandTransformations.org (ITO) and with support of the City of Victoria, it was transformed into a beautiful native green space.
Before the community project began, this walkway was covered in invasive plants and was littered with garbage, but it is hard to imagine that while walking through it now. English Ivy no longer smothers majestic oak trees allowing them to form an archway along the path. Shrubs like Sword ferns and Licorice ferns can grow freely now the aggressive invasive plants have been removed.
Almost 7 years on, this is truly a great example of stewardship and nature's ability to restore itself. If you have not seen it yet, we highly recommend checking it out if you're in the area (directions here). There is not much to see right now in Winter, but in Spring and Summer, the Greenway becomes a special natural haven, especially when the camas field is in full bloom.
This was not a small feat and if you want to read more about this, then read these progress reports (Link Here) or the full-length report (Link Here)
Recent News
Feb 22, got the news that Councillors Ben Isitt and Jeremy Loveday proposed the "Protection of the Ivy Place Greenway in Perpetuity as a Natural Area" for the Feb 24 Committee of the Whole (COTW) meeting. In short, this proposes that the Council look into Ivy Place Greenway no longer being considered a "road" for vehicle traffic and allowing it to be protected as a greenway in perpetuity. This is terrific news considering the native biodiversity that now lives in this ecosystem.
Thankfully the COTW voted unanimously favouring the motion with positive feedback from Councillors Ben Isitt, Jeremy Loveday and Marianne Alto. This would not be possible without the continued effort of the community, and we are excited to see where this project goes. To stay up to date on this project, check out BlockCommunities.com, a website dedicated to supporting the Oaklands area and surrounding areas of Victoria, B.C.
Below are some photos taken by the community.
