On Sept 10, 2023, the Moralea’s Meadow volunteers were awarded the Volunteer Group for 2023. The group received a plaque and our group name was inscribed on a trophy along with award winners from previous years. In addition, Katy Nelson, one of our leading members was retroactively awarded the Citizen of the Year for 2020. A representative of the group said the following in response to receiving the award.

“On behalf of the volunteers in the Moralea’s Meadow group, I would like to thank Metchosin Council for this award. For those of you who do not know us, we are working on the restoration of a fragment of the Coastal Douglas-fir ecological zone which is one of the most endangered in the world. This fragment is located just behind us, a few metres from this stage between the Farmers’ Market and the District Hall.

“Restoration of this site had been a goal for Moralea Milne, a long-time resident of Metchosin, a District Councillor and a tireless advocate for nature. With her involvement in so many other projects, she was unable to fulfill this goal. After Moralea’s death in the summer of 2018, Katy Nelson decided to take on this project in her memory. Katy has been the heart and soul of this project from the beginning. She is unable to be here because she is attending a family event.

“In Dec 2018, Metchosin Council approved a proposal to restore this site. The volunteer group was formed shortly after. We gratefully acknowledge the on-going support of Council, the Metchosin Foundation, Satinflower Nursery, Pollinator Partnership Canada and Habitat Acquisition Trust for their generous contributions of money, plants, advice and labour. We also thank individuals who have made donations of money and supplies.

“This project has two main goals. The first is to recreate a Garry oak meadow similar to what may have been here as a result of millennia of Indigenous care. We are doing this by clearing invasive plants, mainly grasses and re-introducing native plants. It is amazing how many plants such as camas were there all the time but just needed the grass to be pulled away to show their true colours. The second goal is to be a source of information and advice for gardeners who wish to include native plants in their own landscapes in support of other native species such as pollinators, reduce water consumption and to increase their property’s resilience in the event of wildfire.

“The Meadow is definitely a work in progress. It is at its best in the spring when the camas and other wildflowers bloom but have a look from time to time until then to see how we are progressing.

“Thank you again for this recognition.”