From the Phyllis
Park “Pulling Together” Team (a.k.a.
Weed Whacking Warriors and Friends
of Phyllis Park)
Many thanks to you, members of the CBRA, for giving us your unanimous
support in principle this past January to re-open the western entrance to
Phyllis Park at Lockehaven Drive. This entrance
is now usable—though it is more a route than a developed trail.
The Phyllis Trail System as it exists now
could be classified as a moderate (blue) level trail system, accessible on a
similar level to East Sooke Park Coastal Trail.
It should be marked as such with appropriate signage cautioning the
casual walker, until trail improvements are made.
Since last September we have worked on our own as well as with Saanich
staff support. We have:
- 1. Worked 580
volunteer hours. - Removed many truckloads
of invasive broom, ivy, spurge-laurel (Daphne laureola) and Himalayan
blackberry. - Also removed other
invasives including tall periwinkle (Vinca major), Cyclamen, poison hemlock,
yellow archangel (Lambium galeobdolon), wild carrot (Daucus carota),
Cotoneaster, bindweed (Convolvulus), and “the dreaded RG’s” (rhizomatous
grasses). - Completed second
pass for broom removal on east side of park from the wooden lookout structure
to the open meadow and bluff areas below. - Cleared the 40
metre trail from Lockehaven Drive to the park above, and from there, west to
the Wedgewood recreational centre and east to below the Blue Heron complex. - Marked the
walking routes with blue surveyor ribbon and temporary signage. - Hiked all routes with
our advisors Wylie Thomas (Friends of Upland Park), Ron Carter (retired Saanich
Arborist), Matt Fairbarns (Botanist/Trial Island restorationist) and Dave
Suttill (trails expert). - Removed
blackberry from Phyllis Road boulevard eastern park entrance. - Restored area
with cardboard mulch and several tons of chopped oak leaf mulch. - Planted two-dozen
native plants in this boulevard area. - Removed many
holly trees with the assistance of Rick Hatch and Saanich crewmembers. - Received significant
pledges toward trail restoration, along with more than 60 petition signatures
supporting access improvement. - Met with a
representative of the Saanich Legacy Foundation and will apply to create a dedicated
fund for the management of donations and provision of tax receipts to donors
this week. - Walked the entire
park with Sharon McMillan to record GPS trail map with the aim of developing a 10
year park restoration strategy plan (Sharon teaches at Royal Roads and is a Masters
Student in Restoration of Natural Systems/UVic under Dr. Val Shaeffer). - Received a
commitment from the Green Team (restoration group endorsed by Saanich) to
provide restoration support for the park.
