Restoration at UVic - Meeting Sustainability Targets

The following is adapted from my final project for the Restoration of Natural Systems Diploma Program. My project consisted of organizing a student group to undertake restoration of an on-campus natural area, namely, Haro Woods, located on Arbutus Road to the north-east of the University of Victoria campus. Four students participated in a work party on a rainy November Saturday in Haro Woods, removing the invasive (and toxic) plant, Laurel Leaf Daphne (Daphne laureola). By activating the student population in work parties to carry out restoration, the University has an opportunity to carry out it's sustainability goals as outlined in its Sustainability Plan. The Sustainability Plan is due for renewal in 2013 and a student group has been formed to collect and submit recommendations to the Office of Campus Planning and Sustainability. My recommendations section from my final project below is my submission to the process.

Restoration of Natural Systems Diploma ER 390 Project

Restoration of Haro Woods: Designing a Program for University Students
to Carry Out On-Campus Restoration

By: Andrew MacKinnon

Date Submitted: December 20, 2012

Recommendations

Through the activities of the on campus project team, the Restoration Volunteers Network (RVN) club will be able to assist the University in reaching its commitments to preserving and enhancing natural areas on campus. According to the Vision section of UVic's Sustainability Action Plan (2009-2013), it states, “our physical campus can act as a learning laboratory for innovative programs, policies, infrastructure and activities” (pg. 4). Potentially, under a living laboratory concept, resources for restoration from the University include training and providing the physical tools and space for restoration work, while students will provide the hard labour required to organize and execute restoration projects. Public and private sector partners can also be involved in projects to provide equipment and/or specialized expertise. This model has already been in practice in the stream restoration in Mystic Vale, with a private contractor overseeing restoration activities executed by students.

The role of the university can be further integrated with the RVN club's mandate under the University of Victoria's specific sustainability goals. According to the Sustainability Action Plan (2009), in the Goals, Campus Grounds, Food and Urban Agriculture section, it states, “ensure that 50% of natural areas on campus are healthy” (pg. 16). In the Additional Goals, Campus Grounds, Food and Urban Agriculture section, it states, “establish a campus native nursery and plant/seed nursery” (pg. 30). These goals commit the University to restoration activities and to physical structures for propagation of native species for restoration work.

In comparison, the University of British Columbia also endorses a “Campus as Living Laboratory” concept. According to Orion Henderson, Director, Operational Sustainability (via British Columbia Sustainable Energy Association webinar held on October 23, 2012), UBC's sustainability mandate includes the following aspects:

• meet provincially mandated greenhouse gas reduction goals;
• integrate operational and academic programs;
• define the campus as a living laboratory and conduct real-time experiments;
• partner with business, NGO's, public sector;
• provide scale up for projects and technology transfer style support.

(For more information see: http://www.sustain.ubc.ca/our-commitment/about-ubc-sustainability-initiative/campus-sustainability)

An activated, educated, organized, project focused team of RVN club members will provide an excellent resource to enable the University to implement a living laboratory style mandate and achieve its stated sustainability goals in campus grounds.

Time Line for Further Action

The RVN club has the opportunity to expand and further develop over time. Although the continuity of the club will be dependent on the interests of future students, one possible time line for growth of the RVN club's project team is submitted as follows.

Year 1:

• Start group and provide initial basic training about invasive species.
• Goal of running two projects or work parties on campus.
• Develop templates for understanding restoration and for organization of work party activities.
• Utilize a variety of marketing methods to grow the resources of the RVN club project delivery team: ie. Facebook and video's or other resources from existing restoration groups (ie. see Earthcorps templates in Appendix).

Year 2:

• Continue to run two projects (one in each semester) utilizing templates
• Train in restoration of streams and native species propagation
• Engage the University concerning sustainability goals including the native species nursery and making 50 per cent of natural areas “healthy”

Year 3:

• Continue to run at least two projects (one in each semester)
• Coordination with UVic Facilities Management and public/private partners on native species propagation
• Prepare input on living laboratory model for Campus Sustainability Plan 2014-2018 as a basis for funding for future activities

Year 4:

• Continue to run at least two projects (one in each semester)
• Continue native species propagation and planting program
• Begin monitoring assessment of past projects, revisiting previous restoration sites to assess impacts
• In coordination with outside community groups and the University, organize focused events such as:
  • Elementary and high school visits to restoration sites
  • Public Tours
  • Presentation to RNS Restoration Conference
  • Natural Area maintenance days (garbage collection, invasive species removal and native species propagation and planting)
  • Trail mapping, building and maintenance
  • Stream restoration or wetland restoration
  • Outreach with user groups – ie. bicycle users for trails, pet owners, naturalists

With the above structure and organization in place, the actual projects undertaken can vary from year to year, while the resource of trained, engaged student restoration organizers is maintained and grown. It is hoped that by starting the RVN club project team in this direction, the mandate to engage students in restoration activities on campus will assist in the achievement of the University's sustainability goals with respect to its protected natural areas.