With a little help, nature will continue reclaiming a section of Gorge Creek this summer, with a plan to “renaturalize” a plot of land beside the lower bridge at Esquimalt Gorge Park, returning it to an ecosystem inviting to fish, wildlife and plants.
Standing on the pedestrian bridge that spans the mouth of the creek, you can see the occasional small fish in the clear water below, but not much else.
As part of the Gorge Creek Salt Marsh Restoration Project, an initiative of the Gorge Waterway Action Society, about 1,000 square metres of land on the eastern bank of the creek — an area that once served as a beach volleyball court — will be restored.
“The area today is flat, with only one type of plant. We want to add vegetation, increase biodiversity and create a green shore,” said Brad Proctor, executive director of the Gorge Waterway Action Society. “This, in turn, will provide shade and create a habitat rich in birds and fish.”
He said the group will also be planting native plants that were traditionally collected for food or medicine, or have a cultural significance to the ancestors of the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations, who lived and hunted in the area.
The park already boasts sea asparagus and clam beds downstream, and the rocks beside the bridge provide habitat for native Olympia oysters. Large Olympia oyster beds are now rare on the west coast of North America due to over-harvesting, pollution and predation from invasive species.
There are no traces of a weir that once spanned the mouth of the creek, creating a salt-water swimming pool. The pool was one of the amenities of the park in the mid-20th century, when it was a recreational hotspot for the growing city. Thousands of people came to the park for community celebrations, swimming competitions and regattas on the Gorge Waterway.
Funding for the first phase of the $50,000 project comes from both the Victoria Foundation’s 2023 Community Grants Program and the Nature-based Climate Action Fund.
The Gorge Waterway Action Society began as a neighbourhood advocacy group in 1990. The registered charity focuses on the preservation of the Gorge Waterway through education, restoration, conservation, stewardship and community involvement.
It has a year-round paid staff of five, with between 30 and 60 volunteers working on projects.
The society is hosting a BioBlitz event at Esquimalt Gorge Park, Aug. 18.
In a BioBlitz, people try to identify all the species in a defined area within a set amount of time, using the iNaturalist app.
The event is a fun way to get people engaged with the natural environment and contributes to citizen science, Proctor said. There will also be three guided nature walks.
The event runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 18. Meet at the Nature House at Esquimalt Gorge Park, Tillicum Road.
For more information, go to gorge.ca.
