Hello all!
We’re not letting up at the Nursery as summer rolls along, so I’m here to share our schedule for upcoming work parties. We’re keeping the biweekly schedule for the foreseeable future and the start and end times are 2pm to 5pm. All events are held on Saturdays.
Here’s a short list of dates for upcoming volunteer events:
Moralea Milne was a former Director with our Society and one of the most devoted and passionate voices in our struggle to save Garry oak ecosystems.
Milne, a member of Metchosin council since 2008, was known for her leadership and her commitment to environmental issues.
Her celebration of life was held at 2 p.m on Sunday August 5th at the Metchosin Community Hall, 4401 William Head Rd.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Metchosin Foundation.
Text adapted from the Times Colonist, August 6, 2018 and photo from http://camashill.blogspot.com
At this work party we had 9 volunteers and we contributed 26.5 hours between us.
We had three new volunteers today, sisters from Taiwan who got their hands in the soil for the first time. Thank you for your amazing work, Cathy, Ruby and Rebecca!
What we accomplished:
At this work party we had 3 volunteers contribute a total of 9 volunteer hours.
We are pleased to announce that even more of our acorns have sprouted! Hopefully all will be sprouted soon.
What we accomplished:
At this work party we had 8 volunteers contribute a total of 22.5 hours.
As you’ll see our nursery area has now doubled in size: we now have a second strip of landscaping cloth with a separate irrigation system!
As always we kept a watchful eye on the spring planted acorns for new growth.
What we accomplished:
At this work party we had 4 volunteers and contributed 12 hours of work between us.
More and more of the acorns planted this spring were sprouting!
What we accomplished:
The following comments were presented at the AGM by Peter Woodward, GOMPS Director and Nursery Project Manager.
Our oaks overwintered successfully; in the fall of 2017 we took them off the pallets and placed them directly on the landscaping fabric to prevent frost damage. At this point we have put them back on pallets for the summer. Being up off the ground accomplishes air pruning of the roots.
The GOMPS volunteer Garry Oak nursery is now in its second full year of operation.
With the seedlings potted up from 4″ styroblocks into 1-gallon pots, all the available space on our irrigation strip has been taken up and work has started on a second irrigation strip. This will double our irrigated area.
We have now planted all the acorns collected last autumn and stored over winter in a fridge on site. Some 2,400 acorns were planted this spring and if 2,000 of them are viable, it will raise our total stock to about 6,000.
About 40 to 50 plants inherited from the City’s former nursery operation have all been repotted in larger, generally 5-gallon pots. These plants are five years old or more. In addition, a few field grown oaks in the range of 10 to 15 years were root pruned in the fall of 2017
We officially tested the backflow device in April and submitted our report to the CRD as part of our obligation with respect to our linkage to Victoria’s water supply system.
In March we delivered our second annual report to the city of Victoria.
Photos were taken by Jenny Hebb, GOMPS Director-At-Large & Nursery Volunteer Coordinator.
At this work party we had 8 volunteers contribute a total of 21.5 hours of work.
We were very excited to see that acorns planted on the May 5th work party were already spouting!
What we accomplished:
GOMPS 2018 Annual General Meeting
Join GOMPS on Tuesday, May 29 @ 7PM at the University of Victoria in David Turpin Building Room A102.
Protect your land: Learn more about Conservation Covenants
After a short Annual General Meeting of the Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society, our guest, Barb von Sacken of Habitat Aquisition Trust (HAT), will present information on Conservation Covenants.
You can prevent damage to natural areas
– limit logging to ecologically sustainable forestry
– prevent sub-division and development
– protect a wetland
Barb is originally from the Okanagan Valley where farm life provided ample opportunities to explore fields, forests and wetlands and peek her interest in the natural world. This lead to a degree in Geography from UVic followed by over 10 years working with the Ministry of Environment (MoE) , developing provincial standards for ecological classification and mapping. Travel and work with MoE honed her appreciation of the varied landscapes in B.C. and piqued an interest in land protection strategies, particularly of rare and endangered landscapes. Prior to joining HAT Barb was also involved in environmental education and outreach through the Environmental Technology and Geography Departments at Camosun College.
Since the fall of 2015 Barb has been with the HAT as the Land Acquisition Coordinator. At HAT Barb leads the work on the covenants program, working with public and private landowners to assist them in placing permanent protection on their lands through conservation covenants or acquisitions. In addition, Barb performs annual compliance monitoring on HAT’s covenanted properties.
Note: This presentation is meant to introduce participants to Conservation Covenants and will present a general overview. Conservation covenants are complex legal documents and legal advice should be sought.
At this work party we had 4 volunteers contribute 13.5 hours of work.
We were very excited to see that acorns planted in April had already begun to sprout! We are also pleased to share that an expansion to the nursery is underway. An area has already been cleared in preparation for another strip of landscaping cloth and new irrigation system to be installed.
What we accomplished:
