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Celebrate Earth Day with guided walks through Beacon Hill Park

Local naturalists explore Garry oak ecosystem on Camas Day
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The camas plants are blooming in Beacon Hill Park, which is the site for the annual Camas Day celebrations, held in conjunction with Earth Day. News files

The Victoria Natural History Society and the Friends of Beacon Hill Park want you to celebrate Camas Day and Earth Day with them on Sunday, as they explore the natural beauty that is the Garry oak ecosystem.

Through a series of guided walks, participants will learn about the birds, bugs, flowers, trees, archaeology and ethnobotany of the South Island. An afternoon stroll is dedicated to discovering how local Indigenous people lived in harmony with nature in such a unique habitat.

Each walk is 90 minutes, starting with birding at 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. on April 22, followed by walk-and-talks on soils, archaeology, wildflowers, mushrooms and First Nations ethnobotany and legends, all at 11 a.m.

At 1 p.m., the walks are devoted to archaeology, natural areas and First Nations ethnobotany.

Guiding the adventures will be Dr. Adolf Ceska, a consulting botanist and mycologist; Grant Keddie, archeology curator at the Royal BC Museum; John-Bradley Williams, a First Nations ethnobotanist; Thomas Munson, an environmental technologist with the City of Victoria, and Rick Schortinghuis, an ornithologist with the Victoria Natural History Society.

All walks start at the flagpole atop Beacon Hill and parking is available next to the petting zoo.

kristyn.anthony@vicnews.com