Learning about the traditional Indigenous nations in Victoria prompted me to consider a variety of other questions. The Lekwungen and WSANEC, like most Indigenous cultures, are traditionally rooted in the Land; the seasons, the plants, the animals not only are physically important, but also hold great spiritual significance and lessons. I however, feel very disconnected from the natural world around me; I know very little about Victoria’s biodiversity or natural history. I wish this wasn’t the case because I know that connection with the natural world spurs appreciation for it, and is valuable for one’s mental health as well as driving greater environmental actions.

So I will now shift my attention to observing, learning, and reflecting on the natural world around me. Through my research, I’ve been learning more about the Garry Oak ecosystems. About 10,000 years ago temperatures began to climb, which melted the ice sheet covering British Columbia. Around 8,000 years ago Garry oak trees appeared and thrived before the temperatures once again began to drop (about 3,800 hundred years ago), limiting them their presence.

First Nations groups then used fire to replace the role of lightning, helping to clear meadows for camas and other plants. Fire allowed the oaks to take deeper soils, out competing the conifers. The burning of the plants under the oaks, they made hunting easier and allowed the land to produce more food. Once Europeans arrive, they halted the fires, grazed livestock and claimed land. Development and invasive species worsened the problems, and today natural Garry oak ecosystems are few and far between. This is bad news because Garry oak ecosystems are a “hot spot” for biological diversity; roughly 700 different plants grow in them, surpassing the diversity in every other terrestrial ecosystem in the region.

A sign I regularly walk by at Uplands Park

Interest in protecting the Garry oak ecosystems has increased greatly. For instance the Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society has resources for anyone to access. You can learn more about the ecosystems, become a member, collect acorns for them and more. Additionally, the Garry Oak Exosystems Recovery Team Society (GOERT) created a Garry Oak Gardener’s Handbook to support residents in creating these ecosystems in their yards.

To close, I highly recommend checking out this photo essay by Hakai Magazine on the Garry oak ecosystems, it’s beautiful!