Sunday May 3rd 12-3PM Beach Drive Entrance to Cattle Point

Camas (Kwetlal) Day is a community celebration of the globally endangered Garry Oak ecosystem of Uplands Park, timed to coincide with peak camas (kwetlal in lək̓ wəŋən) bloom in the meadows. Come enjoy displays from environmental non-profit organizations, live music, food, guided wildflower walks, and more!

Garry Oak ecosystems are incredible places rich in culture and biodiversity. For over 2000 years, this landscape has been stewarded through Indigenous knowledge and ceremony by the lək̓ wəŋən-speaking peoples, known today as the Songhees and Xʷsepsəm/Esquimalt Nations. Kwetlal meadows were carefully managed through expert practices, including traditional burning, that sustained these places as sources of food, medicine and currency. Settler fire-suppression and land conversion disrupted these practices, yet kwetlal meadows remain a vital part of Indigenous culture today – their ongoing stewardship is integral to the survival of these incredible places.

Camas (Kwetlal) Day is a time to gather as a community and celebrate the beauty and richness of these ecocultural landscapes. Uplands Park was designated a natural area park in March 1946, so this year marks its 80th anniversary. The event brings together local environmental non-profit organizations who will help share the importance of protecting Garry Oak and other local ecosystems. Music, prizes and guided walks through Uplands Park will entertain – and there, of course, will be cake!

For more than 33 years, the community has worked to restore the park. Volunteers, youth groups, schools and local organizations have removed invasive species such as Scotch broom—once forming dense shrubs that shaded out much of the park’s wildflower meadows—along with English ivy, Daphne laureola and Spanish bluebells. Native species have been replanted to support biodiversity.

Garry Oak ecosystems support the highest terrestrial biodiversity in British Columbia—and likely in Canada—yet they are also among the most endangered. There are now 15 internationally recognized Key Biodiversity Areas in the CRD, six of them in Oak Bay! Restoration has led to remarkable gains in wildlife. Community BioBlitzes, documented through iNaturalist and eBird, have helped confirm 432 bird species in the CRD—surpassing Point Pelee, Canada’s hotspot. Uplands Park alone has recorded 277 species, the highest in the region, thanks to its location along a major migratory route and decades of stewardship supported by volunteers, Oak Bay Parks and the federal Habitat Stewardship Program.

Today, less than 1% of Garry Oak ecosystems remain in the CRD, and only about 5% across the broader region. Uplands Park is one of the best remaining examples. However, much of what is left occurs as small, isolated fragments. Connecting these patches is critical to their survival and the biodiversity they support. One simple way to help is by planting native species in your garden to create habitat corridors. To support this effort, prizes this year will once again include native plants grown by board members Wylie, Matt and Margaret.