For this week’s free inquiry I did a Hike a small trail hike. I chose to do Mill Hill since it is near by. I decided to try out using a camera instead of my iPhone camera for photos of my hike. Unfortunately the camera will not let me download my photos. The camera I used has a really neat bluetooth feature for image downloading but it decided to not work. This made me reflect on how great technology can be but also how it doesn’t always work the way you plan.

So instead I will be talking a bit about the ecosystem at Mill Hill. The Garry Oak ecosystem is a protect ecosystem that is currently undergoing restoration to help maintain and protect the ecosystem. The Garry Oak ecosystem is home to native Garry oak trees. These trees are accompanied by wildflowers and various other plants and shrubs. This ecosystem is severely endangered due to not only invasive species and fire but humans and our needs and wants. These ecosystem is biodiverse and allows many species to grow within one habitat harmoniously. As someone who hikes it is a part of my duty to maintain these ecosystem. Doing your part can look like staying on designated trails, picking up after yourself and others and even reporting any wildfires.

The Garry oak tree is the only native oak tree in BC

Image – 0202376 Common Camas blossoms
[Camassia quamash]. Mt. Pisgah Arboretum,
Eugene, OR. © Mark Turner

Camas can also be found in the Garry Oak ecosystem. Camas or Kewtlal is a plant with much significant to the islands local Indigenous communities. In this website from SD61 discover a bit more about camas and its significance.

To learn more about the the Garry Oak ecosystem check out the CRD’s website