CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE INVASIVE SPECIES COUNCIL OF BC “TOGETHER IN ACTION STEWARDSHIP ORGANIZATION AWARD”!
The Friends of Devonian Park is a long-time stewardship organization based in Metchosin, outside Victoria. This group of volunteers has worked every Sunday November to March since 2002 at Devonian Park, a popular oceanfront regional park in Metchosin that includes Douglas-fir, maple and Garry oak meadows and a creek. The volunteers have put in more than 3700 volunteer hours over the years – an amazing long-term commitment. They have removed over one tonne of invasives from the park, including Scotch broom, Himalayan blackberry, ivy and spurge laurel. This has allowed the return of a significant number of native species, the restoration of a beautiful Garry oak meadow, and the groups’ dedication has fostered a stewardship ethic that many others have embraced.
Read more here: http://bcinvasives.ca/resources/programs/together-in-action-awards/2015-award-winners/
News
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Friends of Devonian Park
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AGM 2013 Minutes
The Minutes and Reports from our 2013 Annual General Meeting.
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Caterpillars on Garry oak trees
Sage advice from VNHS President Darren Copley on the Linden Looper caterpillars which seem to be chewing away at some of the Garry oak trees:
Typically this problem fixes itself, so wait it out. Not much can be done to prevent the current generation of caterpillars from finishing their life cycle as they should be pupating soon, but plan on tackling things for next year. For fall and winter, this problem can likely be treated like the winter moth as Erranis females are wingless.
See the GOERT pdf which includes options for control using Tree bands to prevent the females from laying eggs at http://www.goert.ca/documents/Operophtera-brumata.pdf and here’s another good page on tree banding: http://www.truro.ca/tree-banding.html
While Btk can be used earlier in the year to kill all young Lepidoptera (moths and butterflie) Larvae, think twice before using it in or near a sensitive ecosystem with rare butterflies — Btk is non-selective and kills all larvae!
Other great predators of these looper larvae are Chestnut-backed Chickadees. Also, be careful not to stomp on any caterpillars that look like they have eggs layed on the outside of their bodies. This could be from a parasitic wasp or fly which will hopefully help out over time.
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GOMPS agm scheduled May 6, 2014
The GOMPS Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday May 6th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Goward House in the “Theatre Room”.
Guest speaker will be Dr. Richard Hebda of the R.B.C. Museum. His presentation, “New Insights in Climate Change: Adaptations and Oak Ecosystems”, will illustrate latest impacts of climate change and their likely impacts on Garry oak ecosystems. Prepare for a lively discussion!
Richard Joseph Hebda (Short Biography 2013)
Dr. Richard Hebda has been Curator (Botany and Earth History) at the Royal British Columbia Museum 34 years and adjunct faculty at the University of Victoria for 28 years. He curated Climate and Climate Change exhibit at the museum and was the first faculty coordinator of the Restoration of Natural Systems Program at UVIC. He studies vegetation and climate history of BC, climate change and its impacts, ecology and origins of Garry oak and alpine ecosystems and botany of grasses. Richard Hebda is (co)author of 120+ scientific papers 250+ popular articles on native plants and climate change; (co) author/editor of several books and major reports including recently published Saanich Ethnobotany. He appears often on TV and radio, and in newspaper interviews. He recently received the Queen’s Jubilee medal for his work in palaeontology.
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New GOMPS Website
Hi. Welcome to our new website. We hope you like the new organization and design. We hope to post news updates here in the coming months. Thanks for your continued interest and support!!
To contact us, please use our Contacts page.