Interventions & adaptive management
As explained by Thomas Munson, the City’s of Victoria’s objective in managing the Garry oak meadows of Beacon Hill Park is to protect and enhance what remnant native species are left, and to reintroduce those that have gone missing. Efforts to achieve these objectives include propagating existing native species from seed, and planting them out onto the site. Munson also removes invasive species such as broom, although he does not believe that all introduced species can ever realistically be eliminated. For instance, when asked about daffodil management, Munson stated that “I don’t have any hope of eliminating them so I’m focusing on other things.” The City targets specific plants as prioritized by the “Capital Region Invasive Species Partnership.”
Arguably, many of the introduced species that now threaten native flora in the Garry oak meadows could be kept in check by traditional land management practices such as burning. However, Munson has been unable to convince Parks management to reintroduce burning practices. In the absence of prescribed burns, mowing is used to keep some non-native plants such as Scotch broom at bay. Recently, the City has adapted their mowing practices based on the seasonal flowering and seeding time of different plants in order to ensure that native flora has an opportunity to reseed.
Within the last decade the Park’s department has stopped various maintenance practices that were damaging to the Garry oak ecology, including the application of chemical herbicides and driving over the meadows at inappropriate times. Maintenance crews have also removed drains that were previously installed to eliminate standing water on the site, and as a result Munson has noticed an increase in certain native plants that require wet meadow habitat such as the Douglas aster (Symphyotrichum subspicatum).
The Community Tool Shed project prioritizes action that help that landscape function as not just as an ecosystem, but as a food system. In recent interviews with two Community Tool Shed participants, it was explained to me that the group decides whether or not to remove a particular plant based on the impact that plant will have on the food system and camas harvest. Considering whether a species falls into a category such as “native,” “non-native,” or “invasive” is less important than its observed impact on the Kwetlal harvest. For instance, the Community Toolshed will sometimes remove native plants such as snowberry if they are encroaching on the meadows and shading out the camas. This practice is consistent with what the Lekwungen ancestors have always done by using fire to keep the native forest trees and shrubs from encroaching on the camas meadows. Likewise, the Community Tool Shed removes non-native plants that encumber the camas regardless of whether or not they are considered “invasive” by ecological restoration practitioners. For instance, whereas the City of Victoria does not consider daffodils to be invasive and consequently does not actively manage them, the Community Toolshed does remove daffodils because they interfere with the food system and camas harvest.
The Community Tool Shed also brings with it a connection to the Lekwungen culture that differs from the understanding of ecological restoration groups. As Cheryl Bryce from the Songhees nation recently stated in an interview, “I’m doing it as an indigenous person for knowledge that’s been passed down as something that’s been part of our way of life for so long. (...) So it’s a whole different approach basically, and a way of life really.” The Tool Shed’s work contributes to struggles for decolonization by strengthening the cultural practices of the Lekwungen, and by encouraging an awareness of colonizing practices of the past and present among non-indigenous settler volunteers.
Arguably, many of the introduced species that now threaten native flora in the Garry oak meadows could be kept in check by traditional land management practices such as burning. However, Munson has been unable to convince Parks management to reintroduce burning practices. In the absence of prescribed burns, mowing is used to keep some non-native plants such as Scotch broom at bay. Recently, the City has adapted their mowing practices based on the seasonal flowering and seeding time of different plants in order to ensure that native flora has an opportunity to reseed.
Within the last decade the Park’s department has stopped various maintenance practices that were damaging to the Garry oak ecology, including the application of chemical herbicides and driving over the meadows at inappropriate times. Maintenance crews have also removed drains that were previously installed to eliminate standing water on the site, and as a result Munson has noticed an increase in certain native plants that require wet meadow habitat such as the Douglas aster (Symphyotrichum subspicatum).
The Community Tool Shed project prioritizes action that help that landscape function as not just as an ecosystem, but as a food system. In recent interviews with two Community Tool Shed participants, it was explained to me that the group decides whether or not to remove a particular plant based on the impact that plant will have on the food system and camas harvest. Considering whether a species falls into a category such as “native,” “non-native,” or “invasive” is less important than its observed impact on the Kwetlal harvest. For instance, the Community Toolshed will sometimes remove native plants such as snowberry if they are encroaching on the meadows and shading out the camas. This practice is consistent with what the Lekwungen ancestors have always done by using fire to keep the native forest trees and shrubs from encroaching on the camas meadows. Likewise, the Community Tool Shed removes non-native plants that encumber the camas regardless of whether or not they are considered “invasive” by ecological restoration practitioners. For instance, whereas the City of Victoria does not consider daffodils to be invasive and consequently does not actively manage them, the Community Toolshed does remove daffodils because they interfere with the food system and camas harvest.
The Community Tool Shed also brings with it a connection to the Lekwungen culture that differs from the understanding of ecological restoration groups. As Cheryl Bryce from the Songhees nation recently stated in an interview, “I’m doing it as an indigenous person for knowledge that’s been passed down as something that’s been part of our way of life for so long. (...) So it’s a whole different approach basically, and a way of life really.” The Tool Shed’s work contributes to struggles for decolonization by strengthening the cultural practices of the Lekwungen, and by encouraging an awareness of colonizing practices of the past and present among non-indigenous settler volunteers.