BRITISH COLUMBIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
BCIT students work to reclaim campus meadow from invasives

A class of BCIT Master of Science in Ecological Restoration students have been getting their hands dirty as part of an innovative student project to restore an area of meadow on the Burnaby Campus.

They've been removing invasive grasses on the Lot O' site and replanting native grasses and wildflowers to promote habitat for pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

In 2022 the Lot O site had been fully restored, turning an old gravel parking lot into a meadow and riparian habitat on the side of Guichon Creek. Although the restoration has been a success, some areas of the meadow have been overrun by invasive grass species that sprouted from hay left behind that was used for erosion control.  Invasive species out compete local plants, reduce biodiversity, and damage the habitat, so BCIT has a plan to remove them wherever possible.

This is where the student project, supported by BCIT Campus Planning and Facilities and a grant from the WWF Canada, comes in.

Dr. Jamie Slogan Faculty in the MSc in Ecological Restoration explains: "Our MSc provides students with a mixture of science-based knowledge and the practical skills they need to deliver effective restoration programs in the field, through projects like this.

The students were incredibly motivated to come up with ideas for this project. Each group created a planting plan to restore the areas where invasives have taken over. These were then submitted as mock proposals to the Institute's Grounds and Landscaping team. After reviewing the proposals, it was decided to test differing planting plans in a series of separate small plots to see which would be most effective in preventing invasives returning. Some of the trials include varying seed mixes as well as adding a tarp for a year prior to seeding to further kill off invasives".

A project that benefits the campus

The students with support of BCIT's Grounds team have been putting their plans into action by removing the invasives at Lot O and reseeding with plants like Phlox, Giant Columbine, and Lupine.

Adam Dickinson, BCIT Manager of Transportation, Landscape and Grounds comments. "We're always happy to use our campus as a living lab to support student projects. This is a great collaborative project opportunity that provides students hands on experience in tackling  a real restoration problem on campus, that will help us manage invasive species in the future.

Because the students were able to come up with several different replanting options, the results of the project will provide valuable information about what native plants thrive best on BCIT's campus so they can be considered in future restoration projects".