Gorge Waterway Action Society - Gorge.ca

Gorge Waterway Discovery Centre now open

10 0 0 0 — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:20:30 +0000

A milestone was reached on June 8, 2008 on the Gorge Waterway. After months of hard work, a group of dedicated partners with a common vision proudly hosted the inaugural event at the new Gorge Waterway Discovery Centre. The first annual Rivers and Oceans Festival was held in Esquimalt Gorge Park, featuring the former concession stand in its new role as a community environmental learning centre.

Take the Pledge to be Pesticide-Free!

10 0 1 1 — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:11:30 +0000

The Capital Regional District (CRD) has issued a challenge to residents in the region to eliminate the use of pesticides on our lawns. Here's the link to take the pledge, and find out more:

http://www.crd.bc.ca/takethepledge/

Here's another site that has information on a wide variety of pesticides and their effects:

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/gateway/index.htm

Gorge Waterway Links

10 0 2 2 — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:15:53 +0000

COASTAL AND SHORELINE STEWARDSHIP RESOURCES

Gorge Waterway Initiative : A collaborative, community-driven group of organizations concerned with protecting and enhancing the natural and cultural features of the Gorge Waterway, Portage Inlet and the surrounding watersheds.

BC Stewardship Centre

Conservation Connection : Directory of conservation groups working in the Capital Regional District

Habitat Acquisition Trust : Our local land trust, operating in the Capital Regional District

The Land Conservancy : British Columbia's land trust

Harbours Atlas : Comprehensive web-based information and mapping tool for the Gorge Waterway, Esquimalt and Victoria harbours, and their watersheds.

SeaChange Marine Conservation Society : Focussed on restoration, conservation and education around nearshore marine environments of southern Vancouver Island; also involved in province-wide eelgrass mapping initiative.

Living by Water Project : Marine and freshwater shoreline stewardship

Georgia Strait Alliance

Green Shores

NATIVE PLANT SOURCES AND INFORMATION:

Naturescape : BC-wide program to help improve wildlife habitat in home gardens

Streamside Native Plants : Courtenay, BC nursery offering wide range of native plants

Fraser's Thimble Farms : Salt Spring Island nursery offering wide range of native and rare plants.

REGIONAL AND MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS:

Capital Regional District

District of Saanich

Township of Esquimalt

Town of View Royal

City of Victoria

ARTICLES ON FRIENDS OF THE GORGE PROJECT:

Aug. 2007 CRD Stormwater News article on Friends of the Gorge

Winter 2006 Saanich "Our Backyard" article on Friends of the Gorge

Restoration Work initiated at the Railyards Waterfront

10 0 3 3 — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:48:56 +0000

Friends of the Gorge has initiated a new project at the Railyards, a condominium development on the Gorge Waterway in Victoria. The waterfront area was overgrown with horsetail, blackberry and thistle. City parks crews cleared some of the area, and provided native shrubs to replant along the trail. Volunteers turned out in November 2007 for a work party to dig in the new shrubs, and will meet once a month to continue the restoration work.

New Stewardship Sign for Friends of the Gorge

10 0 4 4 — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 21:47:22 +0000

Look for our new Friends of the Gorge stewardship signs at participating properties along the Gorge Waterway.

In February 2007 the Friends of the Gorge Project had new metal signs made up for participating property owners who demonstrate their commitment to environmental stewardship on the Gorge. Contact us for more information on how you can become a Friend of the Gorge.

Friends of the Gorge Demonstration Site Now Planted

10 0 5 5 — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 00:00:02 +0000

January 20^th 2007 was a banner day for the Friends of the Gorge project. After months of planning, followed by a winter of uncertain weather – snow, torrential rains, freezing temperatures, road closures - all the stars lined up for a wonderful morning of planting native plants at our demonstration site on Portage Inlet. The achievements that this site represents go beyond the removal of invasive plants and replanting with native species. There was an unprecedented level of cooperation between municipalities (Oak Bay and Saanich), parks and environmental services departments to accomplish all the work that needed doing.

Gorge Waterway Native Plant Workshop

10 0 6 6 — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 02:59:03 +0000

Removing invasive plants like the English ivy on this Douglas fir is one of the first steps in restoring a more natural waterfront. Ivy can kill a tree by creating wind resistance so the tree is vulnerable to wind throw.

In October 2006 the Friends of the Gorge sponsored a workshop with local native plant gardening expert Pat Johnston. Twenty people attended this event, held in the penthouse common room at Treelane Estates on the Gorge Waterway. Pat showed slides of many gardens in the Victoria area where native trees, shrubs and perennials have been incorporated into the landscapes. We are fortunate in this area to be blessed with a wide variety of beautiful native species to choose from, for all garden conditions. Native plants are well-adapted to local climatic conditions (summer droughts, winter rains) and are naturally resistant to local pests and diseases. Pat stressed the importance of removing invasive plants like blackberries, Scotch broom and ivy from our gardens and waterfront areas.

6th Annual Gorge Waterway Cleanup

10 0 7 7 — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 04:07:59 +0000

On Saturday, September 23rd the Burnside Gorge Community Association will be hosting the 6th Annual Gorge Waterway Cleanup. The event is a great opportunity for people who share a love for the environment and specifically our local waters to get together for a morning of environmental and community action. The BGCA would therefore like to invite you to lend a hand in this year's cleanup effort. what that means is ...WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

www.gorgecleanup.ca

Gorge Waterway Initiative

10 0 8 8 — Mon, 22 May 2006 18:03:04 +0000

What: The Gorge Waterway Initiative (GWI) is a community-driven, collaborative group of organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the Gorge Waterway, Portage Inlet and surrounding watersheds in a way that respects the local cultural heritage. It was created after a founding meeting initiated by the Gorge Waterway Action Society in 2005.

Mission: GWI's mission is to maintain, protect and enhance the health of the Gorge Waterway, Portage Inlet, their watersheds and communities, for the enjoyment and well being of present and future generations.

Shoreline Rehabilitation and Conservation

10 0 9 9 — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 20:59:02 +0000

The Friends of the Gorge Waterway project promotes environmental land stewardship along the Gorge shoreline through public education and by providing conservation property prescriptions— site-specific advice from a professional biologist about what could be done with your Gorge waterfront property to enhance its environmental values. All improvements are at the expense and responsibility of the landowner.

The Friends Project brings a biologist literally “to the door” for site visits of shoreline properties to recommend simple and inexpensive steps the property owners and managers can take to improve their properties’ environment, for example restoring a natural buffer at the Waterway’s edge, replacing invasive species with native plants, or taking steps to eliminate the inadvertent outflow of toxics into the Gorge and Inlet.