Every week, Margaret Lidkea, president of the Friends of Upland Park, leads a team of nature enthusiasts along Oak Bay’s coast to remove invasive species crippling the fragile Garry oak ecosystem—one of Canada’s most endangered environments. For the past 30 years, the Oak Bay resident has been working to clean municipality’s Garry oak forests, starting independently with her Girl Guide group. Since its inception, these clean-ups have removed countless tons of invasive species, helping to save numerous Garry oaks and protect fragile ecosystems. An area like this of Cattle Point, without such efforts from Lidkea’s troop, could have been overtaken by invasive species long ago and decimated. In addition to protecting a local plot of land, these volunteers have preserved Oak Bay’s broader ecosystem and its surroundings.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 17, 2024 15:01 UTC