Over the past few weeks a group of teens from White Rock Christian Academy tackled an advancing swath of golden archangel. The restoration leader: A Rocha Brooksdale’s new Environmental Restoration Biologist, Jesse Wildeman!
Also known as “lamium”, golden archangel is an invasive ground-cover plant that thrives in the shade of trees. At the Brooksdale Environmental Centre, a cluster of lamium had taken root directly beside the native plant nursery. Jesse explains that although the roots are shallow, they are quick to spread. Additionally if even small bits of roots are left behind the plant is able to regrow.
So it was that a group of seven Grade 12 students came to Brooksdale with their teacher to get some hands-on experience as part of their Outdoor Education class. They returned about 10 times to pull the invasive species from the hillside between the Brooksdale grounds and the Little Cambell River. A number of them commented they were glad it was a longer-term project; by the end, they were able to see how big an impact they could make for the ecosystem.
“Many people say you can’t get rid of lamium without chemicals” says Jesse. “This is our second time trying to remove it without chemicals.”
Longer-term projects are an important aspect of A Rocha’s work. Especially with invasive species, the positive impacts from a one-time restoration project can be nullified even the following year. While the last attempt to remove the lamium failed, there is good reason to hope that this attempt will be successful.
That hope comes as Jesse’s steps into his new role this very month! Since summer of 2014 Jesse has lived onsite with his family, and helped coordinate the Internship Program with his wife Sarah. Now with his new role as Environmental Restoration Biologist, he will assume a new list of priorities. High on that list is to keep healthy ecosystems intact, one of which was being threatened by the lamium.
Jesse hopes that once restored, stinging nettle plants will take the place of the lamium. A native plant, stinging nettles provide important habitat for a number of local endangered snails.
To find out more about A Rocha’s conservation across the country, please visit our Conservation page.
