A pair of longtime Rithet’s Bog volunteers led a pair of Sir James Douglas elementary classes through a recent field trip through the bog.
Sean Mitchell and Russ Pym have put in hundreds, if not thousands of hours into the restoration of the sensitive 42-hectare (103-acre) wildlife habitat.
“The [youth] program we created is modeled after the Ducks Unlimited national effort to educate young students with environmental knowledge and experience,” said Barbara Schubert of the local Ducks Unlimited chapter, which coordinated the class trip. “This event was a outstanding effort and [a tribute to the] generosity of local donors and the Saanich committee.”
Ducks Unlimited has been responsible to oversee and manage the restoration at Rithet’s with several project participants over the past two decades. Rithet’s is home to dozens of species of birds, some rare to the area. For about 100 years it was used agriculturally and was overgrown with weeds. It is the largest remaining bog in the South Island.
This year’s Ducks Unlimited charity dinner and live auction is Nov. 18. All proceeds go to regional habitat enhancements.
For information about the charity dinner visit http://www.ducks.ca/events/?id=BC11042018001.