Past NPSG Events

Written By Sylvia Samborski, April 15, 2019:

In September 2018, the Native Plant Study Group launched a series of talks focused on the theme “You can make a difference!” We planned our talks around the question, “How can we learn and work together to sustain the health of our natural environment?”  Among our members there is a general consensus that our outdoor environments, whether gardens, boulevards or parks, are suffering from severe degradation.  This is a common problem across North America, and is being actively and successfully managed, especially in some eastern communities, through education and sustainable practice.

In order to take action on a local level we felt it was important to become informed about the broad ecological picture.  We could then work to help coordinate and support decisions and actions with other credible organizations and with professionals from every level of government.  The Victoria Natural History Society is a stellar example of an organization that works continuously to involve adults and children in science-based nature education.  As well, many academic leaders are available to share their experience and advice. Victoria is also blessed with well-founded organizations such as HAT, the Green Team, Saanich’s Pulling Together Program, and many other groups that embody sound environmental stewardship.  The Native Plant Study Group decided to draw on the expertise of some of our key environmental stewards.

Vancouver Island is home to a vast diversity of native plants, many of which are edible! Learn with Kyle how to grow healthy and beneficial native foodplants in the urbanscape of your own backyard or balcony. Let’s explore the amazing gifts native plants have to offer in the form of food all while supporting the surrounding environment through our food growing practices.

Learn more and donate at: https://www.pepakenhautw.com/

Kyle is excited about utilizing his skills and knowledge of science and the local environment to promote ecosystem restoration, protection, and stewardship as a way to heal the places that shaped his adoration for the natural world. Kyle facilitates youth outdoor education programs with the PEPAKEṈ HÁUTW̱ Native Plant and Garden Program; his work is rooted in developing strong relationships with the students in order to create safe spaces so that everyone feels comfortable to learn and thrive. When Kyle isn’t teaching students about native plants and conserving biodiversity, you can find him catching bugs, listening to birds, and admiring flowers.

Join us for a discussion about using native plants to build biodiverse landscapes that are beneficial to wildlife and people. We will explore the nuances of building naturescapes in the urban environment. Looking at projects through time and discussing the methods, successes and challenges in working with native plants. Showing examples from current and ongoing projects to explore techniques and lessons learned. Emma is the owner of Wilder Restoration an Ecological Restoration and Naturescaping service that operates out of Victoria BC. Drawing on her education in Visual Creative Arts, Ecosystem Management and Environmental Science, with over 10 years of experience in the field of ecological restoration, she uses her artistic eye and ecological knowledge to build biodiverse naturescapes that celebrate the beauty of Southern Vancouver Island. Through this work she connects people back to place, builds climate resilience and increases biodiversity.

This presentation will outline the successful efforts to ban the sale of invasive species in the City of Nanaimo. Expanding on the theme of environmental protection, we will then discuss why Nanaimo and the surrounding communities have a disproportionately large responsibility in protecting Garry Oak ecosystem in Canada, highlighting several local areas of critical importance under threat from development pressure and industrial activities.

Hunter Jarratt is a local conservationist who graduated from the Bachelor of Natural Resource Protection Program at Vancouver Island University in 2023, and is currently a student in the Restoration of Natural Systems Certificate Program at the University of Victoria. In recent years, he has worked with a number of local environmental organizations in both workplace and volunteer capacities, and now owns an ecological restoration consulting business. He is known as the “Invasive Species Guy” on social media where he creates educational content focusing on invasive species management, particularly in Garry Oak and associated ecosystems. Hunter was the recipient of the Invasive Species Council of British Columbia’s 2025 Together in Action Rising Star Award, and helped lead the advocacy efforts last year that resulted in the City of Nanaimo being officially tasked with drafting a bylaw banning the sale of invasive species.

A meandering adventure of the beauty of native plants, W̱SÁNEĆ culture, language revitalization, community care, the importance of showing up, and practicing environmental restoration. Sarah’s talks are full of tangents, mini stories, and reverence for the land and everything within it. Bring an open mind, open heart, and as many questions as you can think of! Participation is welcomed and encouraged.

Sarah Jim is a visual artist from the W̱S͸ḴEM village in W̱SÁNEĆ with mixed ancestry that includes Coast Salish, Mexican, English, and Russian-Jewish. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Victoria and has worked in the environmental restoration field since 2018. Her art practice explores themes of Indigenous land sovereignty, cultural resurgence, interconnectivity, native plants, and coastal medicines. Advocation for the land through depictions of ethnobotanical representation is the focal point of Sarah’s work. Along with contributing to her community through artwork and land-based healing with the W̱S͸ḴEM Ivy Project, and formerly the PEPÁKEṈ HÁUTW̱ Foundation, she is now pursuing Indigenous language revitalization through the W̱SENĆOŦENIST Program at the W̱SÁNEĆ College. All of these pursuits are to reflect, honour, and care for the beautiful land, sea, and skies that the W̱SÁNEĆ have stewarded since time immemorial.

Be introduced to how to spot vulnerable areas of your yard and create a more wildfire-resilient garden. This talk will share how to make informed choices about plants, mulches, maintenance and more. This class hopes to inspire participants to adapt to climate challenges and take proactive steps to protect their homes by enhancing the surrounding environment.

Bethany is a sustainable horticulturist, permaculture practitioner, and educator from Victoria, BC. Her desire to find more sustainable ways to work with the land led her down the path of permaculture, where she now holds a Diploma in Permaculture Design and Education. She is a certified FireSmart Landscape Professional and FireSmart Ambassador, is the instructor of permaculture at the Pacific Horticulture College, and runs her business, Garden Alchemist where she consults and designs to create beautiful, ecologically functional landscapes.

In this talk, local author, speaker, and rock gardener Paul Spriggs will talk about his travels in search of nature’s most beautiful plant jewels, the alpines! We will visit a number of mountain ranges in the Pacific Northwest that are hotspots for alpine plant diversity.

Climate change is intensifying, with record-high temperatures, more extreme events, and waning commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The response of ecosystems, ecological processes and species is now evident and will only become clearer. Climates in the upcoming decades will be unlike those seen for millions of years, in times preceding the Ice Age. Join Richard Hebda as he explores BC’s rapidly approaching ecological future and how we might adapt.

Richard Hebda is Curator Emeritus at the Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM) and adjunct faculty at the University of Victoria (UVIC). He was the first faculty coordinator of the Restoration of Natural Systems Program at UVic, where he still teaches. Richard Hebda is (co)author of 135+ scientific papers 300+ popular articles on native plants and climate change; (co) author/editor of several books and reports (grasses, ethnobotany). He received the Queen’s Jubilee medal for his work in palaeontology and the national Bruce Naylor award for natural history curatorship. Richard is the past president of the BC Iris Society and editor of the Society’s Rainbow Goddess.

Join us for an evening with Justin Dunning, botany enthusiast and passionate explorer of rare native plants. Justin will share his journey to locate and photograph the elusive Trillium hibbersonii, a rare trillium species found only on a remote corner of Vancouver Island. Through vivid images and field stories, he’ll reveal the challenges and triumphs of tracking this botanical treasure, and why its conservation matters. Whether you’re a seasoned botanist or a curious nature lover, this talk promises inspiration and insight into one of this region’s most mysterious native plants.

Justin Dunning grew up exploring the forests, rivers, and lakes of central Ontario. He studied greenhouse horticulture at Niagara College and has been obsessed with carnivorous plants since high school. When he’s not growing orchids and carnivorous plants, he’s out in the wild searching for rare native species.

Birds! Plants! Ecosystems! Dominique (she/her) and Trentön (they/he) will be providing a special walk and talk of native plants, birds, and ecosystems found at Swan Lake near the nature house. Dominique will be sharing her knowledge of the SENĆOŦEN (sen-chaw-then) names of the species, some cultural uses, and importance from her WSÁNEĆ (whuh-say-netch) teachings.

The walk & talk will be from about 7:00pm to 8:00pm and then speakers will come inside for more conversation and questions – there will be plenty of time for Q&A 

Join Hans and Mary for a look between the covers of their new book, Native Plants of BC’s Coastal Dry Belt. By presenting native plants in the context of their ecosystems, Hans and Mary will outline how this guide helps us become more familiar with (or delve more deeply into) key elements of our regional vegetation. This approach offers the advantage of selecting and visually identifying those plants that are specific for easily defined plant communities, one plant community at a time. Drawing deeply on Hans’ extensive ecological and botanical expertise and Mary’s technical proficiency, this image-rich presentation will take us through many of the native plants and supporting ecosystems that existed in pre-colonial contact times – native plants that are now essential indicators for conservation. There will be plenty of time for Q&A and, if all goes well with the publication timeline (Harbour Publishing – a Canadian publisher), copies will be available for viewing and sale. Check out the Harbour Publishing website for more information on the book.

Originally educated in Germany, Dr. Hans Roemer, is a plant ecologist and botanist who has worked for many years in the BC Ecological Reserves Program and in BC Parks. Subsequently, as a consultant, he analyzed vegetation for public and private bodies in BC and for a few federal government projects, mainly focussing on rare species. The regional plant life emphasized in this new book has always been central to his interests and the information on it has been accumulated over his Canadian life time, starting with a PhD dissertation in 1972/73 at the University of Victoria.

Mary Sanseverino is a retired faculty member from the University of Victoria’s Department of Computer Science. Most at home in the mountains with a camera in her hand, Mary looks for any excuse to get out in the hills. For almost 15 years she has been associated with Canada’s long-running Mountain Legacy Project (historic repeat mountain photography and landscape-level analysis). A member of the Alpine Club of Canada, Mary often leads nature/citizen science-based trips. She is a regular contributor to the ACC’s State of the Mountains Report. Her photographic work has appeared in Canadian Geographic, Discover Magazine, Parks Canada, and here on southern Vancouver Island with CRD Parks

The Metchosin Biodiversity Project has logged over 3800 different species from all corners of Metchosin and Race Rocks–the second highest count in Canada! Come and see some staples and surprises, the banal to the bizarre, from the last 13 years of counting, ranging from birds to green things to toadstools to sea creatures. With a special focus on native plants.

Rapid shifts in climate and other environmental factors, species globalization, and cultural values about nature are compelling changes in the way we think about and approach ecological restoration. There is no simple answer (of course!) but adopting flexible and adaptable approaches will help. I will be arguing for a “big tent” approach to restoration in the future, incorporating diverse practices and approaches that stretch beyond classical restoration.

Eric Higgs (PhD, FRSC, FRCGS) is Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria, Canada. His scholarly work focuses on ecological restoration, regenerative ecological design, ecological novelty, and mountain landscape change. He explored these themes in Nature By Design (MIT Press, 2003), as co-editor of Novel Ecosystems (Wiley, 2013), and many articles. He leads the Mountain Legacy Project (mountainlegacy.ca), the world’s largest systematic repeat photography project aimed at understanding historical change in Canada’s mountain landscapes. He co-directs a research collaboration with Christine Lintott Architects on regenerative ecological design, and for the last decade has taught a community-based field course on this topics at the Millard Learning Centre on Galiano Island. From 2001-2003, he was Chair of the Society for Ecological Restoration. His prior academic appointments were at the University of Alberta and Oberlin College, with visiting appointments at Waterloo, MIT, British Columbia, Western Australia, and Groningen.

Urban environments are designed to move rainwater off our roofs, roads, parking lots, and other impermeable surfaces as quickly as possible. In doing so, stormwater systems collect heat, pollutants, and speed, channeling concentrated flows into a growing network of pipes. As this altered water enters local streams and shorelines, it causes significant damage—eroding banks, degrading habitats, and posing major challenges to the health of our freshwater and coastal ecosystems.
Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) offers a transformative solution, shifting our urban landscapes from hard surfaces into living sponges that absorb, filter, and slow the flow of water. By embracing GSI, we can cool and clean stormwater, enhance urban biodiversity, and support the natural water cycle—building resilience in the face of climate change.
Join us to learn how Peninsula Streams and its partners are empowering communities to implement GSI solutions like rain gardens, bioswales, and permeable landscapes across Southern Vancouver Island. Discover how you can take part in restoring ecological balance—one rain garden at a time.

Kyle is a restoration ecologist (MSc) with over 10 years of experience working in our coastal and aquatic ecosystems. Kyle is a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) with the Society of Ecological Restoration’s professional association and in addition to coastal British Columbia, has worked in conservation in Kamchatka, South America, and Southern Africa. He is passionate about the restoration and enhancement of Social Ecological Systems through community-driven restoration and stewardship, research, and environmental education. Kyle is proud to be leading an amazing team of staff and volunteers at Peninsula Streams and Shoreline.

Bur chervil, English hawthorn, and Manna grass are tough invaders that are hard to control once they take hold. At Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, we’ve been experimenting with various management techniques and are excited to share our journey. We’ll discuss the methods we’ve found useful for controlling bur chervil and English hawthorn, as well as present our approach to dealing with Giant Manna grass. This recently established invasive species is spreading quickly on site: novel approaches will be required to limit the negative impacts to wetlands.

Jay studied Natural Resources Management and Environmental Studies at the University of Guelph and worked at the University Arboretum. After graduation, he mentored in sustainable forestry practices with renowned ecoforester Merv Wilkinson. Over the past 15 years he has shared these teachings and principles with thousands of students and adults during tours and workshops.
His family background includes farming and forestry, in Ontario, and wandering the foothills of the Himalayas, where he lived until he was 12 years old.
His interests include nature observation, studying landscape ecology and promoting sustainable land stewardship and self-sufficiency. He is especially fond of growing food and foraging for wild plants and mushrooms.

Burns Bog is the largest and most southerly ombotrophic (rainfall supported) bog on Canada’s West Coast. Since 2005, Thomas Munson has been monitoring almost 70 permanent vegetation monitoring plots in Burns Bog, under contract with MetroVancouver. Thomas will describe ecological communities found in Burns Bog, his findings on keystone bog species such as the Sphagnum mosses, and show photos of an ecosystem and plants that he has had the honour to observe for almost 20 years. Come and learn about the ecological values of Burns Bog, across the water in Delta, BC.

Thomas Munson holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies degree from University of Waterloo, and a Restoration of Natural Systems Diploma and Masters of Science degree from the University of Victoria. He is a Professional Agrologist and Certified Wildlife and Danger Tree Assessor. He worked with First Nations in the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, and Colombia, South America for much of his career. Thomas has carried out work in the botanical field via ethnobotany studies, forestry and vegetation inventory and environmental impact assessment. Thomas worked for many years as Environmental Technician for City of Victoria Parks, in ecological restoration and management of Garry oak ecosystems and their rare plant species. He has worked on long term ecological vegetation monitoring for MetroVancouver in the unique ecosystem of Burns Bog in Delta, BC, for 18 years. He teaches an introductory course through the University of Victoria on ecological and cultural restoration, and maintains an active interest in community ecological restoration projects in the Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystems of southern Vancouver Island.

Ken Marr has been Botany Curator with the Royal BC Museum (RBCM) since 2001.  He is interested in the classification, biogeography and conservation of terrestrial vascular plants, in particular the alpine flora of BC, where most of his fieldwork occurs.  One part of this effort is to use DNA markers to attempt to understand the migration pathway of alpine species into BC following the last ice age and to evaluate evidence for the existence of full glacial refugia within the borders of BC.  This research has taken him to Russia, Alaska, Yukon and more than 70 mountains in northern BC.

Ken is also actively working to document the distribution of plants that are not native to BC, especially plants that are known to be invasive.  This is done by encouraging others to contribute specimens of such species to the province’s primary plant collections at the RBCM and UBC.

Amanda Swinimer, owner Dakini Tidal Wilds, Marine biologist, seaweed harvester, author and educator shares her knowledge and passion for seaweed in an evening presentation. Seaweed plays a critical ecological role in the health of our planet and has extraordinary nutritional and heath properties. In her presentation, Swinimer will describe the ways in which seaweed nourishes and protects both people and the planet. She will also describe some local, edible seaweed species of the Pacific Northwest, their nutritional characteristics, their culinary uses and sustainable harvest techniques.

Ecosystem Restoration on Trial Island in a Changing World.  Matt will provide new information on ecosystem restoration work on Trial Island including our long-standing project to control Scotch Broom and English Ivy and our ambitious new project trying to control invasive grasses. Matt will also touch on the challenges that climate change poses to conservation on Trial Island.

Matt Fairbarns is a conservation biologist who has worked on the protection of native species and ecosystems in western Canada for over 40 years and has been conducting ecosystem restoration work on Trial Island since 2002.

This 101 talk introduces the concept of what pollination is, why it is important, who are the groups of pollinators we see, why pollinators are special, issues they’re facing, and how to help. Lora will also dive further into actual habitat creation tackling ideas of co-evolution, plant selection, local data and associations of plants and pollinators.

Dr. Lora Morandin is the Associate Director at Pollinator Partnership, the largest organization in the world dedicated solely to the protection of pollinators and their habitat. Lora has been studying pollinators for 25 years and did an undergraduate degree in Ecology and Evolution with a minor in Plant Biology at Western University, she did an MSc on pollination of greenhouse tomatoes at Western University, a PhD at SFU on enhancing pollination in agroecosystems, followed by postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley on integrating ecosystem services into agricultural production. She has co-authored books and has over 30 peer-reviewed publications related to pollinators. In her current position, she created the Pollinator Steward Certification program, she conducts research and outreach, provides consultation for industry and government, and works with partners to create habitat for pollinators across North America. Visit: pollinatorpartnership.ca

Global insect populations have crashed over the last couple of decades. Learn why this matters for our food supply, for a healthy environment and the future of wildlife. Find out the latest research into the many factors contributing to the widespread decline and how gardeners can help to reduce the harm from some of these factors by improving insect habitat in their yards.

Linda Gilkenson, Ph.D., is the author of the BC best selling book Backyard Bounty: The Complete Guide to year-Round Organic Gardening in the Pacific Northwest, and the 3rd edition of West Coast Gardening: Natural Insect, Weed & Disease Control. Linda studied Entomology at McGill University, worked for the British Columbia provincial government promoting programs to reduce and eliminate pesticide use. She provided leadership to the provincial State of Environment Reporting Unit and the Salt Spring Island Conservancy, also serving as President of the Entomological Society of Canada, the Professional Pest Management Association of BC, the Entomological Society of BC and the Salt Spring Garden Club. Linda now devotes her time to writing, teaching and consulting.

Ted Lea has been involved in terrestrial ecosystem mapping of British Columbia for more than 30 years. Working with GOERT from 2002 – 2008, Ted represented the Inventory, Mapping, and Plant Communities Recovery Implementation Group (RIG), and chaired the Plants at Risk RIG for a number of years and promoted the ecosystems approach to the management of biodiversity within the province.

There are many native plants from which teas can be made. This workshop will open your eyes to the wide variety of plants and plant parts which can be made into hot and cold drinks. This workshop is a gentle gateway to the world of native plant tea applications. Bring a mug!

Jay’s Back! Jay Rastogi is an avid naturalist with a keen interest in plants, birds and fungi. He is the site manager for the Swan Lake and Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary. Jay studied Natural Resources Management and Environmental Studies at the University of Guelph and worked at the University Arboretum. After graduation, he mentored in sustainable forestry practices with renowned ecoforester Merv Wilkinson. Over the past 15 years he has shared these teachings and principles with thousands of students and adults during tours and workshops.
His family background includes farming and forestry, in Ontario, and wandering the foothills of the Himalayas, where he lived until he was 12 years old. His interests include nature observation, studying landscape ecology and promoting sustainable land stewardship and self-sufficiency.  He is especially fond of growing food and foraging for mushrooms. iIn his spare time he enjoys making wooden toys, boxes, bowls and furniture.

Ann thought her beautiful gardens were helping the world. But honestly they weren’t, as they were filled with horticultural plant varieties, most of which were cultivars of plants native elsewhere. It was a talk given by Professor Douglas Tallamy that surprised Ann into the sudden understanding that to really help we need to grow native plants in our gardens. Now Ann is attempting to create a garden that will have the appearance and form of a traditional garden, but will be composed almost completely of native plants. Gardening with native plants can be surprisingly controversial.

Ann Tiplady was a wildlife biologist, then an ecologist, then a farmer, and now is a writer. Before and during all that, though, she was and is a gardener.

We will be sharing our experiences of student-led restoration on the UVic campus. This will include our origin story, some of our projects, and how we attract and maintain our largely student volunteer base. Attendees can look forward to an engaging and honest presentation as we explore our successes and failures in each area and what we have learned from it all.

The UVic ERC is an inclusive club that brings together students and the broader community for ecosystem restoration. We provide students opportunities to engage with restoration, gain valuable skills for career-development, peer and academic support, and make friends at our social events.

How the BC CDC contributes to Plant Conservation in the province. The BC Conservation Data Centre is a hub of species at risk data, and a member of the Natureserve network. We are involved in determining which species and subtaxa occur in BC across many species groups and use collection and observation data to establish which ones are most at risk.

Jenifer Penny is the Program Botanist at the BC Conservation Data Centre. She lives in Victoria and studied at University of Victoria. She has been involved with the inventory and data management of rare plants in BC for over 25 years!

At the time of writing, Tara Martin, UBC professor and researcher working in our Gulf Island National Parks, is scheduled to speak to the Native Plant Study Group on the evening of April 18th.  See NPSG.ca for details. Along with Peter Arcese and other scientists, Tara takes an active role in ungulate management as a step toward the protection of native species and stewardship of the native environment.  Since the Victoria Naturalist goes to print in early April, we will offer a report on Tara’s April 18thtalk for a later edition.

A wealth of up-to-date information on stewardship and the particular challenges facing our urban environment is available, both in libraries such as the MacPherson Library and online.  For example:

Wildlife Society Bulletin

Vol. 25, No. 2, Summer, 1997

Deer Overabundance

https://www.jstor.org/stable/i292242

https://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/deer_mgt_options.pdf

James Miskelly, described the Victoria area as home to the highest diversity of vascular plants in BC.  However, some of these native species are endangered or extirpated because of changing ecological conditions. Others are “hiding in plain sight”.  For example, we might think we have one native buttercup, the dramatic Western buttercup that blooms along with Camas in Garry Oak meadows. But there are actually 8 native buttercups in our area, as well as invasives such as creeping and tall buttercup.   Some native plants are hard to find, such as Bastard toadflax (Comandra umbellata) or the delicious anise-flavoured herb Yampah (Perideridia gairdneri); others, such as tarweeds look “weedy”, and can be overlooked. Several plants are in decline or have disappeared from our area, such as the delicate pink wildflower Phacelia linearis, familiar to Okanagan naturalists.  James shared various factors that have resulted in the high diversity of native plants, as well as three factors that threaten this diversity: loss of fire, invasive plants, and overabundant deer.

For example, the carbon record indicates that indigenous people used fire to manage the southern Vancouver Island Garry oak meadows for at least 5,000 years.  An early European observer also noted that over 230,000 acres of ground were managed by fire from Nanaimo through Victoria, or about 1,000 square kilometers of burnt “prairie land”.  

James emphasized that the three notable problems that threaten our biodiversity (loss of fire as a management tool, invasive plants and excessive herbivory by deer) have relatively simple solutions.  He suggests that we need to employ individual and group social action, and engage all levels of government in an action plan based on science.

In January and February, biologists Andy MacKinnon and Terry McIntosh dedicated their talks to the memory of their friend and environmental steward Moralea Milne.  Moralea was an inspiration to the whole community and worked tirelessly for the environment. She left us with a powerful legacy, through her dedication as a Metchosin councillor and organizer of the “Walk and Talk” series, her beautiful Camas Hill, a conservation jewel she set aside for perpetuity, and through the knowledge that we can follow in her footsteps and truly make a difference to our natural environment.  She epitomized how we as individuals could make a difference.

November’s speaker, Restoration Ecologist Dave Polster shared with us the complexity of restoring severely disturbed sites.  For example, in Saanich, Dave’s ecological restoration team can achieve success only if deer fencing protects a restoration site.  If the fencing were removed, the young willows, aspen and other native species in these sites would be rapidly browsed and unable to reach maturity.

In October, Ann Nightingale, award-winning birder and naturalist gave us a colourful presentation about our incoming fall birds.  She addressed the degradation of the forest understorey by deer browsing and its effects on our bird populations. Ground nesting birds such as juncos, towhees and orange-crowned warblers, are especially negatively affected. Fall migrants and winter resident birds and where to find them

Accordingly, in September forest ecologist and lead steward of Goward House Grounds, Everett Peterson, spoke to the group about his concerns for our native trees and shrubs in the Cadboro Bay area.  He noted the absence of regeneration of these native species because of the effects of deer overabundance, especially in the vicinity of illegal deer feeding stations. After decades of heavy feeding on commercial dairy formula, sunflower seeds, fruits and vegetables–put out by well meaning neighbours who value deer over all other native biodiversity–the deer population has grown exponentially.  The growing deer population has been gradually dispersing to other communities, as the local browse is consumed. Dr. Peterson noted that the deer have become the principal architects of the Queenswood urban forest, browsing down every young native tree, shrub and native wildflower in the forest understorey. As a result we are losing our songbirds and pollinators that rely on these plants for food and nesting.  In the absence of deer fencing, mature native trees and shrubs will age and die without seedlings and saplings surviving to replace them. Everett uses the example of the cottonwoods at Goward House grounds. His essay on cottonwoods follows this introduction.

Whether you have native plants or imports from around the world, it all boils down to the soil we place them in. Plant health and soil health are intricately connected in a subterranean web of life. will give a management strategy to create and maintain a balanced soil environment where gardens will thrive for years to come. She will cover a basic who’s who of the microbial world, their role in the ecosystem, and some pointers for maintaining soil fertility the natural way.

Christina:
Christina’s background is in landscape architecture with a degree from Germany. She is a SOUL Certified Organic Urban Land Care Professional and has been teaching organic horticulture, landscape design, and plant ID at Gaia College for over ten years. Visit gardenerspantry.ca

Paul Spriggs is an avid rock gardener, plant explorer, photographer and mountaineer. He is the owner of Spriggs Gardens Landscaping company and current Vice President of the Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society. He has a passion for all wild plants, especially those of dwarf stature.

David Douglas is perhaps the best known plant explorer. Charged with discovering new plants for British gardens, he spent the greater part of his life roaming western North America, introducing hundreds of our western native plants into horticulture. His story is sure to fascinate anyone with an interest in adventure and native plants.

Uplands Park is an incredible place. Within its 31 hectares can be found one of the highest concentrations of rare plants in the country…right in the middle of an urban environment. It also has one of the richest collections of invasive species in the region. Since 2014, Wylie Thomas has been managing a project supported by the federal Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP) to help restore Uplands Park’s rare ecosystems and protect its 23 endangered plant species.

In his talk, Wylie will describe the work done to date to control invasive species in the park, and discuss the challenges of managing recreational use in a way that allows people to continue enjoyment of the park while also protecting its natural values. He promises to illustrate this work with lots of pictures of plants (and a few Pokémon) and maps of work done to date.

Wylie Thomas has a Bachelor of Science degree in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology and a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies. He is currently completing a Diploma in Restoration of Natural Systems at the University of Victoria. Before moving to Victoria from Toronto in 2008, he worked as a consultant advising government and industry on product sustainability, corporate social responsibility and stakeholder consultations related to the development of environmental regulation. The move provided him with an opportunity to focus on what he is most passionate about: protecting biodiversity. Although he grew up in large urban centres around the world, far from wilderness, he is lucky to have had parents who insisted that summers be spent in the country, where he developed a love for insects, birds and plants.