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A Sweep of the Broom: Why Trial Island matters and what we can do about it

Trial Island is one of the last refuges for many rare species of plants of southeast Vancouver Island that occur nowhere else in Canada. What makes Trial Island so special and what does this mean for so many rare species? Matt Fairbarns will talk about the Trial Island Ecological Reserve, the conservation challenges it faces and how an alliance of volunteers and short-term contractors have been meeting these challenges in one of the longest-running invasive species management programs in our reserve system. This is not just a story of pulling Scotch Broom and English Ivy; it is also an exploration of the biologies of rare species and invasive plants, of new arrivals and old questions solved, of team-building and discord.