Climate Action

QCHCA’s Climate Action Pollinator project update:

It has been a little over one year since we first ‘broke ground’ on the 2 boulevards on Astoria Street at Willerton Avenue. We didn’t actually ‘break ground’ as we used a ‘no dig’ method to smother the existing grass and weeds, layer goodies like alfalfa, straw and bone meal on top and cover the whole area with a generous layer of topsoil.

Before . . .                                                        Preparation of the beds

                                      

We spread seeds, planted some small seedlings, mulched and hoped for the best over the Winter!  With the support of the Saanich Parks department, we carved out some chip paths and installed log benches on both boulevards for the enjoyment of the many people who walk the street leading into the Cedar Hill Park.

Log benches courtesy of Saanich Parks

      

Spring and Summer saw the emergence of more seedlings, grasses, shrubs and, of course – weeds!  Our neighbours generously donated water during the dry summer and volunteers kept the gardens weeded and watered during the drought.

                                  

Now the gardens have been put to bed for the Winter with a fresh layer of leaf mulch as we eagerly await the arrival of Spring to see what has grown and evolved.  The gardens are approximately 60% planted and we plan to add more plants in the Spring – mostly relying on donations from fellow gardeners.

We would love to engage with a few more people to help us establish and maintain the gardens – no prior skill necessary, just a love of our natural environment and a desire to contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change!

Please contact Susan Morrow at qchca3003@gmail.com with questions, ideas, offers….Thank you!

Share your ideas, ask questions and contribute to Saanich’s Climate Plan update.

There are two opportunities to learn more and share your thoughts:

Capital Bike’s GoByBike Week 2025, organized in partnership with Greater Victoria communities, will have 14 “Celebration Stations” arranged across the CRD for riders to visit and add a stamp to their passport.  At these stations, cyclists will be offered free food, drinks and prizes, and the chance to meet and chat with other riders.  Evidently last year’s GoByBike events saw 50,000 British Columbians participate, logging nearly 2.5 million kilometres, says Capital Bike’s community manager, Britt Burnham.  She adds that, “If we had driven that distance instead, it would have added 539,683 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions to our atmosphere. That’s roughly the equivalent of 126 gas-powered cars, driven for an entire year.”  In honour of GoByBike Week, BC Transit is also offering free rides to cyclists next week.

Safe cycling, everyone!

Why Pollinators Matter

One in every three bites of food you eat depends on a pollinator.

Pollinators – like bees, butterflies, birds, bats and even moths – play a vital role in our ecosystems and food production.  Here on southern Vancouver Island, over 200 native bee species thrive, along with many other pollinating friends.  Without them, most flowering plants couldn’t reproduce.  That means fewer fruits, vegetables and healthy habitats for us all.

The Bigger Picture

Healthy ecosystems depend on pollinators.  They help clean the air, stabilize soil, support wildlife and provide shelter during extreme weather.

What We’re Doing.    

As part of a citizen science project with UVic Geography students, we began by mapping pollinator gardens throughout our community.  Now we are building pollinator corridors – we’ve prepared and planted two sites on Astoria Street at Willerton.

What is a pollinator corridor?  It is a pesticide-free pathway of native plants that helps pollinators move between habitats, especially in urban areas.

How You Can Help

You don’t need a large yard to make a difference.  Every balcony, boulevard or back yard can become part of the network.

Tips to Get Started

• plant native species – native plants support more species than non-native ornamentals
• grow food?  add hedgerows!  They attract birds and insects that eat pests
• grow flowers?  Interplant native bulbs.  They’re often deer-resistant and drought-tolerant
• provide water and bloom variety – choose plants that flower throughout the growing season
• skip the tidy-up – bare soil, dried stalks and leaf litter create homes for pollinators
• say not to pesticides – even treated plants can harm pollinators
• check out Habitat Acquisition Trust’s ‘Gardening with Nature‘

Spotlight:  Garry Oak Ecosystems

Garry Oak ecosystems are the most biodiverse native ecosystems in Canada, and they’re right in our back yards – but less than 5% of their original habitat remains.

These ecosystems support:

• 800 insect and mite species
• 104 bird species
• dozens of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and many species at risk

If you have Garry Oaks, let the leaf litter lie – endangered species like the Propertius Duskywing butterfly depend on it

Community in Action

Our neighbours are making a difference!  In 2023, Friends of Cedar Hill Park volunteered over 1400 hours with Saanich’s Pulling Together program removing invasive species and planting natives along the Cedar Hill Park chip trail – benefiting pollinators and biodiversity for future generations.

Join the Pollinator Movement

Whether you have a garden, balcony or boulevard, you can help.

• get involved with QCHCA
• start your own native planting
• help us expand the pollinator corridor

For more information and/or to find out how about volunteer opportunities, email us at qchca3003@gmail.com

Share your garden – send us a photo to qchca3003@gmail.com

In early October, work on two pollinator-friendly gardens began on the boulevards on the north and south side of Astoria at Willerton.  The project is being led by Susan Morrow, a member of QCHCA’s Climate Action group.  The photos are from our first work party building up soil for planting.  Two methods were used.  In one, we laid a thick layer of cardboard and damped it down.  This was followed by a layer of alfalfa and a layer of straw, then strewn with blood and bone meal before being covered with a layer of good top soil.  The other method starts with a layer of heavy cardboard, wetted down and then covered with several inches of leaf mulch before the top soil is applied.  We have information sheets available on how this is done – email us at qchca3003@gmail.com.   We will sow some seeds in each bed in the fall but you there won’t be much to see until spring!

Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association’s Climate Action group has been working on a pollinator initiative over the past couple of years, beginning with a pollinator walk and talk.  This was followed by three events, supported by UVic students from a Geography 380 class, who helped teach us how to use Open Green Map to indicate where pollinator-friendly plants and trees were in our neighbourhood, ideally indigenous ones as they support the pollinators – bees, butterflies, wasps, moths, beetles, birds and bats – that live in or pass through our area.