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As others have mentioned, taking into consideration that not everyone has the same experience and or context regarding invasive species. That we are all here to continue learning more about our surroundings and that someone’s nostalgia and appreciation towards an invasive species shouldn’t be outright judged as perhaps ignorance. With access to information, we can work towards positive contributions whatever they may be

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Hi,

My name is Shannon Breen and I am working for the the City of Edmonton as the Natural Areas Restoration Tech. This my 2nd course for my 2nd certificate in Ecological Restoration from UVIC. I am excited to be here to learn from and with you all!

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Hi, I'm looking forward to connecting and learning from you all in this field.

Ruth

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Hello all,

Looking forward to getting to know everyone throughout the course. The ability to learn from and collaborate with others is one of the best parts of the ER program.

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I am not able to get my camera or mic to work, so I've written a little intro.

Hi everyone, my name is Kristina and I reside in Fort St. John, BC within Treaty 8 territory, home of the Dane-zaa. I’ve assisted with restoration projects for several years now and have been interested in learning more about invasive species as they tie into the sites at work as well as at my home, especially over this past summer as we attempt different treatments.

I’ve taken several online courses, including through UVIC to complete the ecological restoration certificate. With this certificate I’m hoping to gain an understanding of holistic restoration for planning and implementation at job sites, including a deeper understanding of the options and challenges faced.

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Hi everyone! My name is Selena Liu and I'm a Landscape Architect based in Vancouver, BC. I haven't worked on many restoration projects but many projects I work on are adjacent to restoration work , so I'm curious and definitely want to learn more about the entire process! In particular we have a lot of projects directly adjacent to RPEA zones and I'd love to know more about how I can use site design to help make the restoration aspect of these projects more successful. Looking forward to conversing with everyone!

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Hello,

My name is Emily Bickel and I am Environmental Engineer. I started out working in the City of Surrey's Salmon Habitat Restoration Program restoring riparian areas by removing invasives species and improving salmon habitat in streams. In my career I have worked in project management and I hope to eventually restoration projects. My favourite invasive species (because somebody else already stole Himalayan Blackberry) is Himalayan Balsam because I do enjoy pulling them out of the ground. This is my second course in the ecological restoration micro-certificate and I have enjoyed watching all of your videos and I hope to get to know everyone better over the next 4 months!

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Hi Everyone!

I am a landscape designer in Victoria BC. This will be my first course in the ER cert program which I have chosen to enrol in as an opportunity for professional development and to further specialize my skills and offerings. As a designer I am committed to continually expanding my own knowledge base so as to work with the land in a holistic, integrated ad meaningful way. I am very excited to begin this course and to learn from each and everyone of you along the way!

With gratitude,

Sophie

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I am certainly very much "in the weeds" with many aspects of the work around invasive species and I'm honoured to be able to learn alongside all of you.

I've been self-studying the work of Dr. Eric Higgs (Novel Ecosystems and Ecological Restoration) and his contemporaries for the past few years and have found it very compelling especially in the context of what restoration can look like in our current era.

I want to be able to bring further nuance to how invasive species are managed with my region while also expanding my knowledge on invasive species generally.

I highly recommend taking a look at my work's website for comprehensive resources on the major invasive species within the Metro Vancouver region. They will certainly be helpful for many of you in and the province as these species are quite widespread across the continent.

https://iscmv.ca/invasive-species/priority-plants/

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Hi everyone I’m Lani! I currently am living in California working in the watersheds for a water district. I have a background in mapping invasive species within the riparian corridor. Can’t wait to learn with you all! 

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Hi Everyone! I'm Alyce and I am excited to take this course with you all. This is just my second course with the University of Victoria and I am ready to dive in again.

I'm currently working as an environmental consultant in the Kamloops area, but I am originally from Calgary. I get to work on a lot of neat wildlife projects, including some awesome species, but every once in awhile I get the opportunity to partake in restoration projects, which has peaked my interest and the reason I am in this course.

Arriving in Kamloops less than a year ago, I am new to the grasslands, but love them and would love to see them restored and maintained. Living in the desert has opened my eyes to such a unique and cool ecosystem.

As a wildlife biologist, I am partial to critters, but my favourite invasive species is purple foxglove. It tends to show up in a lot of the disturbed areas that I work and it is just so pretty. Fun fact: every part of purple foxglove is highly toxic!

Anyways, happy learning and looking forward to the next 11 weeks.

(sorry for the lack of a video, my old computer is acting up again).

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Where was my cat when I needed her for a video distraction?

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Greetings for Sooke, BC. Looking forward to brushing up and acquiring new skills!

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Great to be back in this learning community.

I love learning about invasive species and am

currently in an intense relationship with Hairy Cats Ears (Hypochaeris radicata ). HCE (aka False dandelion) is a member of the Aster family and has naturalized across the globe. It is a very cool species - and edible --- well, more like -- barely palatable. It is also a threat to native species in the Garry Oak associated ecosystem I work in. Management is elusive! The more I learn about invasive species the more I am filled with admiration for their survival strategies.

Also, complex: a meadow blooming with sunshine-yellow Hairy cat's ears -- a novel ecosystem beautiful and useful for generalist pollinators -- but what about the native flora and pollinators?

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Hi Everyone!

Excited to meet all of you and learn together! As usual, would love to arrange a Vancouver study session if anyone is interested :)

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Hi everyone!

For some reason the video and audio recordings in padlet are not working for me? I have opted for this written method and a picture, I apologize for my technical difficulties!

My name is Sarah, I live on the Saanich peninsula on Wasanec territory. I currently work as a project assistant with the Land Trust Alliance of BC. I am a student in the RNS Diploma program, and was also interested in taking these courses so decided to jump in. I've taken quite a few online courses through UVIC at this time, its been enjoyable and fit in well with my work schedule. I have only worked in restoration as a volunteer at this time, but I would love to eventually be able to work in this field. I'm very interested in sand dune ecosystems and salt marshes.

My favourite invasive species is probably Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), several trees have overtaken my yard and it provides most of the shade I am currently blessed with! I like its beautiful foliage and have noticed how even though invasive, these trees provide habitat and cover for many birds.

I have spent a great deal of time exploring the ecosystems of coastal BC, always trying to learn more and understand things better. I am fascinated by ecology and geology, and hope to learn more about how I can contribute to a sustainable future. I look forward to getting to know you all and learning more about you :)

Sarah

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Hi all! I'm Bretta, originally from Seattle but moved to Vancouver to do my MSc on marine microplastics. Happy to connect with my fellow Vancouverites and hi to the couple other Americans in here!

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Hi! I work primarily as a gardener, with no ecological restoration experience, so I'm nervous & excited to continue with this program.

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I found recording my face painful so please enjoy these flowers

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Hi Everyone! I'm from North Vancouver and I just completed my MSc. My thesis was on whether native species can evolve to present more biotic resistance to species invading as they shift their ranges with climate change. Since this brushes upon the invasive species realm, I'm excited to dive deeper into invasive ecology from a more practical/ applied view. Nice to meet you all and looking forward to the term!

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Hello Everyone! Looking forward to working with and learning from all of you :)

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Any other native plant nerds on here? 🌱🤓 

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Hi everyone, I'm Megan and I love Earth! I

work in Indigenous food sovereignty and food security and am interested in the relationships between agriculture and ecology, climate adaptation/resilience, and transcending the dominant western paradigm which is destroying life on earth in grossly unjust ways. I’m looking forward to learning together as we work collectively to heal the land. ❤️

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Greetings from Heather Hutton!

Currently living in Alberta, an hour northwest of Calgary. I lived in Victoria for 15 years and originally I am from northern BC. I am a Senior Environmental Scientist for an environmental company. We complete environmental site assessments, land reclamation and remediation. I am looking forward to this course and program to learn more and specialize my career in ecological restoration. I began my career on Vancouver Island as an Environmental Inventory Technician for the District of Saanich. I have a BSc degree from the University of Victoria and a Professional Agrologist designation in BC and Alberta.

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Hey all

I am looking forward to getting to know you all over the next few months. This is my 4th course in the Ecology Restoration program and I am gaining so much valuable knowledge with each course. Invasive species seem to be abundant and problematic in all ecosystems so it will be interesting to see some mitigation strategies. It’s tough seeing Himalayan blackberry and ivy engulf so much habitat here in the metro Vancouver. I don’t currently work in the restoration sector but being a nature loving person, I am being drawn in that direction and hope to steer my career towards restoration.

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Hi everyone, I'm Kyla. Looking forward to learning with you all!

I did my BSc Biology at UNBC and I am currently working as a fisheries technician based out of Kamloops BC. This season I'm working on a sockeye stock assessment program based out of Chilliwack Lake. I have a little bit of prior experience with invasive species, but I'm looking forward to building on that knowledge and finding ways to tie my learning in with my current job. I'm not sure that I have a favorite invasive species, but I'd say goldfish are definitely my least favorite!

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Hi everyone, my name is Andy O'Reilly and I'm very much looking forward to learning how to make peace with (or alternatively viciously eradicate!) invasive species on this course. I live in Saanich on Vancouver Island, BC, in the midst of a forest of tall but relatively young Douglas-firs. I'm a former journalist from the UK who moved here four years ago with my Canadian wife and our two kids, now 5 and 7. I've been retraining in environmental science for a number of years now, and I've already completed ER501 and ER505 for this Uvic certificate in ecological restoration. My favourite invasive species is probably English white hawthorn, as they remind me of home, the red berry displays are stunning this time of year, and I don't really see them doing horribly invasive things, unlike say Himalayan blackberry - delicious as the berries are! All the best for the course, Andy

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Hi Everyone! I am looking forward to getting to know you all throughout this course and to gaining a better understanding of invasive species and management practices. 

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Hi from Larry Rivers

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Kaitlin Fader - Regional District of Nanaimo

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Kaitlin Fader - Regional District of Nanaimo

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Hi Gang! I'm Kaitlin, a very nerdy Parks Operations Coordinator of Natural Areas with the Regional district of Nanaimo. I work with a lot of volunteers and stewardship groups, as well as with my own hands on maintaining, enhancing and restoring ecosystems in parks throughout the RDN. I'm excited to take this course to learn more about the theory and practice of managing invasive plants, as well as to build some cool connections and networking opportunities with other professionals in the Eco Resto field. My "favourite" invasive plant is Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzainum) mostly because we only have it in a handful of places here in the RDN and I have a fantastic crew of volunteers working on eradicating it from our region. I'm fascinated as well by its sheer size and ability to produce thousands of long-lasting seeds! Lastly, I've taken many online programs before, and hopeful that this one will be great too!

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Hi there! I'm Keana, and this is the first of my courses for the EcoResto professional certificate. I'm excited to get started! I am a restoration ecologist based on Treaty 8 land in NE BC, with a range of experience in caribou habitat restoration, mine reclamation, native vegetation and way too much more. I'm originally from the small community of Tumbler Ridge, let me know if you've heard of it or have visited!

My favourite invasive species is hands down Himalayan blackberry - only because I don't have to deal with them myself up here in the north east but I loved picking them as a kid in the lower mainland.

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Hi, my name is Yuan, and I come from Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. My academic background is in natural resource management, which paved the way for my current role as a resource analyst specializing in data analysis such as timber supply analysis. I am currently pursuing my Registered Professional Biologist designation, which requires three references from biologists and three years of work or volunteer experience. In my spare time, especially during the summers of the past two years, I have volunteered as a Turtle Ambassador. My role involves ensuring that the western painted turtles can safely build their nests without disruption from predators like raccoons, who might steal the eggs. My favorite invesive species is redear slider - They look similar to western painted turtle. You might often see these turtles lounging on logs in ponds.

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Hi everyone :) I work as an ecological restoration technician in Victoria BC, removing invasice species. I've gotten to learn a lot about local native species through my work, and am excited to learn more about the invasives that I spend all day removing!

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Hi everyone! Looking forward to getting to know everyone! This is my first course through UVic so I'm excited to get started!

I can't say I have a favourite invasive specie - but I guess purple loosestrife is objectively pretty?

Cheers!

Catherine

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Hi everyone. I live by a large park that has prolific invasive plant growth (mostly Himalayan blackberry) and have been able to observed restoration efforts over the years. Looking forward to learning about some of the planning that goes into it!

Yonase

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Hi everyone, sorry for the late post, I've been down and out with covid. Located in Quebec, I'm looking forward to learning and connecting with you all!

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Hello from Kirstin the in San Francisco Bay Area

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Hello from Kirstin the in San Francisco Bay Area

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I am a sustainable/regenerative design and urban ecology consultant moving more deeply into a focus on ecological restoration, especially aquatic and coastal systems. Looking forward to learning with you all!

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My name is Shauna, I often speak too fast, and I work in conservation and ecosystem restoration in so-called BC. I am looking forward to learning with everyone!

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Hello from Stanfield International Airport

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Hello from Stanfield International Airport

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Hi Everyone, my name is Jessie, nice to meet you! It's nice to see some familiar faces here from previous courses at uVic.

Looking forward to learning a bit more about invasives this semester. Anyone else here from a Conservation Authority in Ontario?

Thanks!

Jessie

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Park Ranger looking to deepen my knowledge of invasive species

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Hi there! Nice to meet you all in this space. Looking forward to learning with you in the coming weeks. I’m in Montreal by the way, forgot to mention that!

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Hey everyone! Unfortunately I cannot make a video or voice recording- after multiple attempts on three different computers. So, I will do this!

My name is Veronica, I was born and raised in Saskatchewan on the prairies on a farm. Following completion of University, I headed west to Dawson Creek, BC. I later moved up the highway a short jaunt to Fort St John and this is where I call home.

This is my last class towards the ecological restoration certificate. I am a very very proud dog mom, consultant (mainly oil and gas), and lover of all things plants and soil.

I have a HUGE interest in invasive species as it ties into both my career working on investigation/remediation/reclamation, as well as in my personal life as my husband and I build our homestead and try to deal with undesirables without chemicals!

I love to learn in general, including about soils and plants, as well as other people and their experiences. I have worked predominantly in Northern BC and NW Alberta!

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Hi Everyone! Really looking forward to learning about invasive species and hearing about your perspectives and experience.

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A botanist at heart

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Frodo barked hello at the end too!

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Hi everyone! Excited for this course and learning about how to control and prevent the spread of invasive species. I already recognize some familiar names and faces from previous courses :)

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Hi everyone! I'm looking forward to learning about invasive species together this semester!

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Hi everyone! Excited for this course!

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Hello Everyone. My name is Jennifer and this is my first course at UVIC in The Restoration Ecology Program. I am also a Master of Science student in Wildlife Biology, Conservation and Ecology. I am excited to be here and learn. I am a student with multiple disabilities and take great pride in the work I do.

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Here’s my video! Very excited to meet and learn more about everyone! ☺️

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Hi!
I'm excited to take this class to learn more about invasive species and to interact with everyone.

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Looking forward to meeting everyone and learning more about invasive species :)

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Hello All!
Looking forward to working with and learning from everyone involved in this course/program.

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Don't worry! This isn't really long. I just couldn't get the 90s uploaded without breaking in 2.

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Looking forward to meeting everyone and learning all about invasive species and how to control them!

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Hi everyone! I want to acknowledge that I'm filming from the traditional territories of the Wendat, Haudenosaunee and the Anishinabek. Nice to meet you all :)

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LOL Please don't to turned off by my confused face and the light glare behind me. I've met some of you through other courses in this program and am looking forward to getting to know you better and learning through this course.

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Intention: Create a learning environment where everyone feels seen, heard & respected.

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Intention: Create a learning environment where everyone feels seen, heard & respected.

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Don't let the sour face deter you lol. I'm looking forward to sharing my learning of invasive species management and ecological restoration. And, learning from each of you as we move through this learning journey.