The Jericho Stewardship Group is dedicated to restoring and enhancing natural habitat in Jericho Park in the City of Vancouver.
The Problems:
- Jericho Park has a long history of disturbance. It was the site of a logging camp in the 1860s, the first golf course west of Ontario in the 1890s and a military base from 1921 to 1945.
- All these uses radically altered the landscape and introduced non-native plant species. Over the years, the alteration and introduction of invasive species continued.
- Now, invasives such as Japanese knotweed, Scotch broom and English ivy are crowding or choking native plant species that are important to wildlife both as a source of food and a source of shelter.
- Overgrowth of vegetation in ponds is limiting access to water by wildlife.
- Changing rain and temperature caused by climate change impacts water level in ponds and growth of native plants
The Solutions:
- Working together, we are removing invasive plants and, in their place, are replanting native plants such as Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, arbutus, salmonberry, lily of the valley and blue-eyed grass.
- We’re also working on ways to maintain water levels in the pond and marsh.
- We’re working on other enhancements such as nest boxes and bat boxes.
- The whole idea is to restore and enhance habitat for the wildlife; and Jericho is a critical oasis for wildlife in the city.
In 2014, we planted 200 new young native trees and removed countless piles of invasive plants at 12 workparties with 500 person-hours of effort.
Research
We support students from UBC, BCIT to do research projects on topics applicable to our work within Jericho Park. These have included plant inventories, documenting history of past restoration work, management plan recommendations, water flow assessment and more.