Point Ellice House
Shoreline Restoration Project
Pt Ellice Restoration Site - detailed information sheet
The GWI has partnered with the Point Ellice House (PEH) Society on a project to remove invasive species from the shoreline and replant with native vegetation.
The PEH Shoreline Restoration site is located on a steeply sloped natural shoreline with pocket beaches and rocky outcrops along the Gorge Waterway. This site is a unique remnant natural ecosystem of the Gorge that stretches 480 feet along the shoreline. It continues to support a diversity of habitats for native flora and fauna, much of it focused in the forest canopy of arbutus, Douglas fir and big leaf maple. The marine shore and woodland area were heavily overgrown with invasive plants that threatened the link between terrestrial and marine habitat. Dense mats of ivy overhung the shoreline crowding out marine grasses and compromising the stability of the clay banks, resulting in loss of habitat diversity and compromising the ecological functioning of the site.
In 2006, the partnership was established and the GWI members conducted an inventory and mapping survey to determine the extent of invasive species cover. The first work parties started in on a weekly basis in 2008, with volunteers from sea scouts, schools, corporate groups and community members coming to the site to pull ivy and other invasive plants, spread mulch and replant with native vegetation. Thousands of volunteer hours have been spent in the first three years of this project, and the results are remarkable. As of December 2012 over 22 tonnes of invasive plants have been removed from this site!
Funding received to start the project was used to purchase tools, equipment and native plants. Crews of volunteers continue to meet monthly to carry on the work of removing invasive species and maintaining the site.
Find out how to get involved in this project.
Click here to find out how you can help!
Project Supporters
The Gorge Waterway Initiative thanks the following groups for their support of the Point Ellice House Woodland Shore Restoration Project:
| Organization | Support |
|---|---|
| Walmart-Evergreen Green Grant | native plants, interpretive signage |
| Diageo Canada - Evergreen National Tree Planting Program | 160 native trees and shrubs, equipment, corporate volunteers |
| Ellice Recycling | removal of invasive plant material |
| Coca-Cola | corporate volunteers |