Words & Photo Tina Kelly
Imagining superheroes of the environmental variety, I see a cape, tights and a big green G on the chest. In reality, they don boots, comfy clothes and garden gloves.
The veritable proof was spotted in View Royal’s Portage Park. Forty-two volunteers, staff from the Town of View Royal and Kaitlin Warren, the Greater Victoria Green Team (GVGT) Program Manager, had gathered to remove invasives species. This work was started the day prior by a local middle school (kudos to teachers taking this opportunity for place-based learning.).
Green Teams Canada (GTC) began in the Lower Mainland in 2011. It officially became a non-profit in 2013 and the Greater Victoria Green Team sprouted within in a year. GTC’s mission is to connect, build and empower diverse communities through hands-on activities that promote health, well-being and environmental stewardship.
Trina, a volunteer, was hands-on – pulling ivy. This wasn’t a new experience for her. She’s participated in at least eight GVGT events. The satisfaction of seeing her immediate impact is top of the list of her reasons for volunteering, followed by the opportunity to spend time outside. These motivators were repeated by other volunteers, including first timer, Kaceja. Program Manager Kaitlin notes there are many dedicated and returning volunteers, yet at any given event, they may see 50% new volunteers.
English ivy was intentionally introduced. Its evergreen and fast-spreading nature was once desirable – easy ground cover to landscape a property. It needs very little light and also grows in the winter. We now know this plant is destructive. Its dense growth pattern crowds out native plants and its ability to climb can reduce the lifespan of trees.
Nearby, another volunteer learned how to use a Pullerbear, a tool that rips plants out by the roots. It’s not long before they made quick work of the thick, embedded roots of English holly. The story of English holly’s arrival to North America is the same as English ivy and the impacts are just as damaging.
It’s been several years since I went on the attack, removing invasives with GVGT. I cut and pulled Himalayan blackberry in Gorge Esquimalt Park, a park that was a large part of my childhood. Blackberries taste great, but (surprise!) the plant is as destructive as ivy and holly. I agree with the volunteers in Portage Park – experiencing the before and after of your efforts provides a hit of dopamine. And the physicality of the task puts the “active” in “active in your community.”
The GVGT partners with municipalities and schools from Sooke to Sidney. In 2024, the Town of Sidney partnered on two events in Brethour Park. 58 volunteers revitalized 245 square metres of land, including pulling invasives and planting 82 trees. Other Peninsula parks that have benefited from Green Team volunteers are Denham Till park, Peter Grant Park, Lillian Hoffer Park and Dominion Brook Park.
Kaitlin shared two important reminders while we talked: “we are not apart from nature, we are a part of nature” and “nature has no boundaries, when we make a positive impact in one area, it improves nature in a broader way.” No doubt the volunteers toiling away on these projects felt a part of nature. At Portage Park, the physical impact of the volunteers was 24 cubic metres of invasives removed – the equivalent of 150 bathtubs! Their hard work revitalized 1,500 square metres of the park.
GTC hosts opportunities year-round, but the biggest number of events take place March through May and September through November to coincide with the optimum times for planting and pulling. GTC also hosts clean-ups.
With Earth Day on April 22, it’s an ideal time to head to www.greenteamscanada.ca and sign up to volunteer – experience a new park, meet new people, make a difference. GTC is inclusive; they welcome participants of all backgrounds, abilities, skill levels and ages. Celebrate Earth Day with getting your hands dirty. Or wear garden gloves; they’re part of the superhero suit. (GTC provides all of the tools, including gloves.)
