In the middle of our Rally program we will have a field trip which has been jointly organized by the District of Oak Bay’s Parks Service, Friends of Uplands Park, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and several local collaborators, including a Lekwungen Knowledge Keeper, who kindly offered to guide tours for us. We extend our deep gratitude to all for allowing us to visit and learn together at Uplands Park.
We will be visiting a 32 hectare natural area within walking distance of the Rally venue, called Uplands Park.
This places of exceptional beauty, home to a rich variety of flora and fauna and offering superb vistas of the sea, magnificent and varied landscapes, and spectacular displays of flowering meadows. Collectively, they make up 32-hectares of natural habitat, including rare ecosystems: Garry Oak woodlands, flowering meadows, vernal pools and seeps, rocky outcrops, maritime meadows and coastal bluffs. Rare ecosystems also harbour an unusually large number of rare and endangered plant species, as well as hundreds of migrating or breeding bird species – making this an area of national conservation significance. In addition to its conservation value, these lands hold cultural and spiritual importance, evident from many cultural features identified in the park dating back to over 1500 years ago. The Coast Salish Peoples managed Garry Oak ecosystems for a range of foods, including camas, medicinal plants, and other resources through burning and cultivation. Therefore, Uplands Park and Cattle Point are in need of protection for their extraordinary biodiversity and cultural significance.
Our field trip will take place on foot, although we will offer transportation for people who want it.
With the kind support from several local guides we have arranged a series of walks to foster knowledge exchange while we stretch our legs and enjoy the majestic views that nature offers. Groups of 10-15 participants will be guided by a local leader and a gamut of themes will be offered for you to choose from.
In the Rally Registration Area you will find the different options, so please sign up there, by lunch on October 18th, for the walk that attracts you most. Limit of 15 people per walk.
Options include:
· Plant / Restoration walk (green): Join Wylie Thomas to learn about plant species at risk, general botany and restoration efforts in the park.
· Bird walk 1 (blue): Join Geoffrey Newell to learn about the local birds, and observe many species as fall migration will be in full swing.
· Bird walk 2 (yellow): Join Carl Hughes to learn about the local birds, and observe many species as fall migration will be in full swing
· Plant walk (black): Join Matt Fairbanks to learn about plant species at risk and general botany
· Indigenous cultural walk (purple): Join Florence Dick to learn about the area’s importance from the Lekwungen’s traditional view.
· Community walk (red): Join Margaret Lidkea to learn about community engagement and some restoration efforts.
· Natural History walk (orange): Join Val George to learn about the natural history of Vancouver Island, Uplands Park and Garry Oak ecosystems
We will leave the Oak Bay Hotel at 12:30 to walk towards Willows Beach. There we will provide boxed lunches from a wonderful local Songhees catering service and will take our lunch at Willows Beach, where after eating a Lekwungen Knowledge Keeper will tell us about the cultural relevance of the area. After this we will continue over to Cattle Point, where we will be welcomed by the district of Oak Bay and will have a brief overview of the area and tour instructions by leaders from Friends of Uplands Park. At this time we will join our selected walk from approximately 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm. We will provide transportation and expect ot be back at the hotel by 5:00 pm.
Bring your water bottle and light backpack, comfortable walking shoes, a light rain jacket, a warm jumper/sweater, a beanie (woolie hat) and sunhat, sunscreen.
Links to learn more about Uplands Park:
· https://www.oakbay.ca/parks-recreation/parks-playgrounds
· https://friendsofuplandspark.org/
