September 2nd, 2022
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you experience the nature around you?
My name is Casey and I am from Victoria. I am an Environmental Technology student at Camosun College, and I am currently working at ISCBC in the position of Learning Support for my summer co-op. That picture of me is from a trip up to Sombrio with my class to collect GPS points for our final GIS mapping project. My favourite activity to do outdoors at the moment is roller skating! I am kind of terrible at it, but I am hoping to get better with lots of practice in the sunny summer weather. I am also a big music fan, so I love going to concerts and listening to records with my family.
What do you like about volunteering and what inspired you to take action?
My favourite thing about volunteering is that it gives me hope. It is such a nice feeling to be around like minded people while making a difference in my community. I am a visual learner and I love hands on work, so removing invasive species has been a favourite of mine as it instantly shows the difference a few hours or so can make. What inspired me to take action is the threat that invasive species pose to the biodiversity of BC. I grew up camping, hiking, and loving all the biodiversity that our province has to offer. After learning which species were invasive in BC, I immediately started noticing them in my everyday life and wanted to take action to stop their spread.
What would you say to a potential volunteer?
Just sign up and go to as many events as you can! It is so rewarding going out and helping better your community, you will gain so much knowledge from volunteering with ISCBC. Shout out to Kailli, the Victoria Youth Coordinator, for always putting together amazing events and for being so kind and such a hoot to volunteer with.
If you could choose to have one invasive species eradicated forever, which would it be and why?
Living on the Island, we are coated in Scotch broom. Whether it’s driving up the Malahat and seeing the sea of yellow, or in my own back yard, Scotch broom always brings me this pit of anger that instantly makes me want to (carefully, as to not disturb the soil) take it out of the ground. It is a pain to remove, displaces a lot of native species, and is highly flammable due to its high oil contents which can increase the effects of forest fires.
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Join like-minded young adults to plan and carry out real-world activities. Support our goal to support healthy habitats and communities, keeping them free of invasive species. Learn more about becoming a youth volunteer!
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