Woodland Park Elementary students connect with nature

The Woodland Park class on top of Mount Galiano.

A group of Woodland Park Elementary students have a new-found appreciation for their role in nature after spending a day on Galiano Island learning about and helping to preserve the ecosystems that connect everything.

The Grade 6/7 class recently attended a field study workshop held by the Galiano Conservancy Association, which included lessons on biodiversity, Indigenous and invasive plants, and their roles in nature.

“The trip was amazing,” said Woodland Park vice-principal Michael Speak. “It was the first trip for these kids in two years and so it was not only a learning opportunity, but also a celebration of where we’re at in our society.”

The full-day program, called “The Quest for the Mountain Top,” involved ferrying and busing students to Galiano Island, then hiking to the top of the Mount Galiano to explore the Garry Oak ecosystem, one of the rarest and most endangered ecosystems in Canada.

“It’s a type of tree only found on Galiano Island and parts of Vancouver Island,” explained Speaks. “The Garry Oak trees and their ecosystems have been sustaining life on the island for centuries, and so the students were able to learn about the history and heritage of these trees, how they are endangered and what they can do to help preserve and restore these areas.”

The students also learned about their role in and connections to the environment, and the reciprocity and acknowledgement that we are all part of nature, said Speak.

One aspect of the lessons involved learning about each of the three ecosystems found on Mount Galiano, and making the connection between Indigenous and invasive plant species, how they affect one another and learning that every plant has a purpose.

“Just because a plant may have been transplanted somewhere else doesn’t necessarily make it bad,” said Speak. “So, we looked at it and made the connection between Indigenous plants and people and the plants and people that may have come here by other means. The purpose was to explore the balance between all of them, and it became a metaphor for our work in reconciliation.”

Prior to the trip, Speak said most of the class said they felt removed from nature, that it felt like something external to them, but afterwards the sentiment changed.

“There was a reflection at the end of the trip, how we’re not isolated from nature and need to act like we’re part of it moving forward,” said Speak. “Everything is dependent upon relationships, be it human relationships, or our connection to nature.”

The field-study trip was funded by grants from Day Trippers and Go Grants, organizations dedicated to providing supporting funds for educational student trips. The Galiano Conservancy Association was also able to help bring the cost down for the trip, noted Speak.