"Emu Bobbing"

Mr. Noble and members of the Environment Club contributed a Sunday of hard but satisfying work cutting Scotch broom on Portland Island. We were transported from Mill Bay aboard two of Parks Canada's very impressive landing-craft type boats that delivered us straight to the worksite. We set about cutting down broom, many of the largest bushes having stalks several inches in diameter, and "emu bobbing" (the expression used by the Aussie restoration technician who accompanied us) as we stooped and plucked the smaller plants. By mid afternoon there were some large tracts of freshly cleared land and some gigantic brush piles ready to be torched. The next step in the restoration process is to replant with native species, especially forests that will shade out the sun-loving broom. Shawnigan is committed to the ongoing stewardship of a substantial area along the southern shores of Portland Island, under the direction of a Parks Canada ecologist.

– Peter Yates, Shawnigan EDGE Leadership

Photos by Scott Noble and Peter Yates