The University of Victoria Connection [Text submitted by Margaret Lidkea]

This Fall, a group of University of Victoria students from Lara Lauzon’s EPHE 142 Community Legacy Project, volunteered to remove invasive plants from Uplands Park. They worked in teams, created a display and then presented to their class.

FOUP would like to thank Lara for including us and her students for their participation in our Invasive Removal in Uplands Park.  The students were exceptionally keen to help and worked very hard.

THANKS TO ALL!

Here is Lara’s thank you:

“A short note of thanks from me with regard to welcoming and educating my EPHE 142 students who come each year – in the fall and spring terms – to help out at Uplands Park.

They learn so much.  They ‘change’ in a matter of a couple of hours under your leadership and tutelage. They begin to understand that being fit and eating fruits and vegetables are only a small part of living a healthy and well life.

The volunteer aspect for many of them is such a big challenge.  Then to actually work together as a group on behalf of an organization sometimes seems absolutely overwhelming to many of them as well.  Finally – when they get out in the community and participate in events such as the ones you welcome them to – they move from resenting the project, to complaining about the project – to actually being thankful they ‘had to complete’ the project.

Over and over again I hear such wonderful stories about all of you helping them to participate in invasive species removal.

Margaret – you are their ‘hero’.  “

Text for this website post was submitted by Margaret Lidkea.
Photos taken by Margaret, who was very thankful to be invited to the presentations.

Healthy by Nature
CELEBRATE Parks Day
Saturday July 21
10 am
Meet at the Beach Drive entrance to Uplands Park

Join Friends of Uplands Parkfor a gentle ramble through the endangered Garry Oak Ecosystem. Although many plants are now sleeping, the golden grass, camas seed pods and orchids are a wonderful place to find grasshoppers and other insects. Find out how Oak Bay Parks and the Friends are restoring the park to a healthier natural area, better for the native plants, animals and our community. Support the NATUREHOOD!

Margaret Lidkea, Chair of Friends of Uplands Park sends a heartfelt thanks. We all owe Margaret and Amanda (Greater Victoria Green Team) a huge THANK YOU for their work in planning and coordinating this very successful event .  [Photos will be available in a few days.]

Here is Margaret’s thank you:

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU THAT MADE VOLUNTEERS IN THE CAMAS TRULY A CELEBRATION!  Over 300 people participated!

Thank you to Mayor Nils Jensen and Parks representative, Hazel Braithwaite for opening words and to the Oak Bay Council, Oak Bay Parks Recreation and Culture Commission and Oak Bay Parks Manager, Chris Hyde-lay, for their permission and all their support.  Also attending were Councillors Michelle Kirby, Tara Ney and Kevin Murdoch and Commissioners Matt Fairbarns and Suzanne Weckend-Dill.

Partnering with Amanda Evans, leader of the Greater Victoria Green Team was absolutely the best!  We enjoyed every thing we did together.  Having her Green Team at Uplands Park events is also so much fun. By using social media so much, she brings in new volunteers of all ages, especially the young teaching them to love their Naturehood. 

The Bald Eagles were excellent…their music providing a sense of joy, a rhythm to the afternoon and happiness in everyone’s soul.

Thanks to my incredible Friends of Uplands Park Steering Committee, Chris H-L, Ron, Chris G, Elizabeth, Anna, Cathy, Wylie, Matt and Rick who always “steer me in a corrected direction” and who were responsible for their own areas.  Thanks to Kathleen Matthews for being our Social Media Manager and photographer and to Ida Spader for helping with family activities.  Thanks to all who set up, took down and hosted tables.

Thanks to our families…Tom, Eric, Jorey and T.J. for doing whatever they were asked.

Thank you to the leaders of our Wildflower Walks, Matt Fairbarns and Wylie Thomas and to the leaders of the Bird Walk, Geoffrey, Jean and David Newell.

 

Thanks to Oak Bay News for their excellent article,  recording interviews at the event and for their continued support of community events.

Thanks to the partners who created displays and activities and to their hosts:

Parks Canada – Fort Rodd Hill

CRD Bowker Creek Initiative

OB Artists Community Society

OB Heritage Commission

Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary

Orca Whale Awareness

Nature Kids for removing ivy and growing and planting baby fawn lilies

We were sorry that HAT and Nature Conservancy of Canada were unable to come at the last moment

Thanks to all the organizations that provided food:

Thrifty’s – $400 including a cake  and 3 tents!

Dominos on Foul Bay near OB Avenue provided 40 large pizzas!

Fairways on OB Avenue

Save On Foods on Fort Street

COBS Bread Hillside for scones

Hide + Seek Coffee on OB Avenue for coffee

Starbucks on OB Avene for coffee

Everything was eaten!!!

Thanks to all the organizations that donated prizes:

Dig it – Handwear

Friends of Uplands Park

GardenWorks OB Avenue

Greater Victoria Green Team

Hide + Seek Coffee OB Avenue

If You Care Products

I.O.N. Clothing, Government St.

Ivy’s Bookshop OB Avenue

LUSH Soap Government St.

Mason Street Farm

Nicholas Randall OB Avenue

Oak Bay Recreation Centre

Oak Bay Flower Shop OB Avenue

Penny Farthing Olde English Pub

Rogers’ Tudor Sweet Shop OB Avenue

Saanich Native Plants on Haliburton Rd

Serious Coffee OB Avenue

The Soap Exchange Hillside Ave

Township of Esquimalt

and to Home Hardware, OB Avenue for tool discounts throughout the year.

We can thank them best by being their customers!

Margaret Lidkea, Chair of Friends of Uplands Park

friendsofuplandspark.org and on Facebook

A green treasure hunt for shamrocks, eye spying for green plants along the trails, making green chia animals, and a pot of gold  .. all part of the St. Patrick’s Day family event hosted by the Friends of Uplands Park in Uplands Park on March 17-2018. A wonderful turnout and Chief Leprechaun (Margaret Lidkea, Chair, Friends of Uplands Park) shared fun activities and plant lore with so many leprechauns, big and small.

Photos by Kathleen Matthews.

From Times Colonist, Section  C12, Thursday, March 15, 2018

PDF at Times Colonist E-edition – Times Colonist – 15 Mar 2018 – Go green in the park for St. Patrick_s Day

The Friends of Uplands Park’s very committed No Ivy League group resumes it’s weekly weekend invasive removal work on Sunday, February 4, 2018 from 1 – 3pm.  The goal is to focus primarily on the removal ivy and other invasive plants from Uplands Park and Cattle Point and these weekly sessions are making a difference.  Please join us in this work. Tools and gloves are provided as well as the opportunity for learning best practices. Meet at the Cattle Point kiosks at the parking lot area down near the water.

Invitation to help plant native species in Uplands Park in areas where invasive plants have been removed. Meet at the Uplands Park sign on Beach Drive on Sunday December 3-2017 fro 1 to 3pm. A variety of native species will be planted and seeds will be scattered in areas being restored. Tools, kneeling pads, instructions and refreshments provided for volunteers.