The Nurseries
Under the aegis of the Conservancy's Mayne Island Community Stewardship Project two native plant nursery sites have been established, one on Georgina Point and the other on Gallagher Bay Road. The former's southern exposure has made for many periods of full sun (when available) during the winter months in contrast to the Gallagher Bay site which has been predominantly shady while the sun is low in the sky. Both nursery's are sited outdoors, with siutable windbreaks.
As the sun gets higher this spring most growing activity will likely be moved to Gallagher Bay Road. All the well started plants will be set out at the Gallagher “nursery” in a plot that has been protected from deer browse.
The Plants
Over the course of summer of 2011 seeds were collected for a wide range of native plants for the purpose of propagation. Currently over 30 species have been planted, including
- Camas
- Chocolate Lily
- Evergreen Huckleberry
- Garry oak
- Twin Flower
- Oregon Grape
- Idaho fescue & blue wildrye (native grass species)
The Funders
As part of the Mayne Island Community Stewardship Program, these activities have received funding from TD Friends of the Environment, VanCity Credit Union under their Community and Enviro programs, CRD Grants in Aid, Mayne Island Parks & Recreation Committee, and EcoAction (Government of Canada). For information on how to get involved with any of these activities as a volunteer, please visit here and here.
The Propagators & The Process
Chris Fretwell and Rob Underhill are orchestrating and executing the most extensive recent efforts at native plant propagation on the island (see pictures below) but they are not just planting and waiting. Every step of the process and recorded progress is captured in detailed data sheets on each batch of plants
An excerpt of the worksheet "Seed Collection Record by Site" appears below:
| Species | Collection date | Notes & Rough estimate of seed number | Location Collected | Nursery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camas sp. | July 29th, 2011 | 150 seeds | Close to Beechwood Drive | LB | July 30th, 2010 | 1400 seeds | Port Washington, Pender Isl | LB | Sept 12th, 2011 | 20 seeds (collected very late in the year) | Close to Mt. Park | LB |
| Red flowering currant | August 22nd, 2011 | Many seeds | Skana Gate | LB | Sept 16th, 2011 | 200 seeds | Skana Gate | LB | Sept 19th, 2011 | 500 seeds | Skana Gate | LB |
| Rattlesnake plantain | Sept 14th, 2011 | Many seeds | Steward Drive | MD |
| Sept 16th, 2011 | soil collected | Edith Point | MD | |
| Spotted coralroot | Sept 12th, 2011 | soil collected | Close to Mt. Park | MD |
| Sept 16th, 2011 | soil collected | Laura Point Rd | MD |
This table now has 44 discreet records of collection from a total of 15 different sites while the detailed inventory listing is tracking germination and growth on 4023 individuals (Feb 2012)
Propagation by cutting is underway for a fair portion of the seeded plants on a experimental basis, and careful records of successes and failures are being maintained
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| Each of these 252 one gallon pots contains Arbutus seeds. The Arbutus berries were collected in November from various locations around Mayne Island, soaked in water for one week, and then the seeds were removed and dried. Arbutus seeds require a period of cold temperature in order to break dormancy and begin to grow. | MICS Stewardship Coordinator Chris Fretwell distributes native plant seeds evenly over freshly filled starter trays. Seeds from more than 40 different species were collected throughout the summer of 2012, and planted in the fall. |
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| This plug tray has been seeded with Blue Wildrye, a common native grass species on Mayne Island. Blue Wildrye is a great native plant for use in restoration of disturbed sites such as roadsides. It establishes quickly and can tolerate poor growing conditions, helping to prevent erosion and the establishment of non-native plants. | A trick we learned from Marc Lauckner is that old venetian blinds can be cut up and made into excellent planting labels (don’t worry Marc; we’ll replace your blinds soon!). |
The team is also following up the progress of seedlings planted in 2010. These were well started plants having benefited from at least 2 full years of growth before being set out:
- Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
- Grand fir (Abies grandis)
- Western red cedar (Thuja plicata)
