OFLM Name: Norman Fennema

Course Name and Number: Environmental History HIST_3991

Name: Colleen Plunkett

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Local Environmental History

I live on the traditional territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən speaking peoples known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations, as well as the homelands of the W̱SÁNEĆ people.  The colonized name for this area is Victoria and Saanich.  Specifically, I live just outside of Victoria, in the Christmas Hill/Swan Lake area on Woodhall Drive in Saanich.  The area consists of two physically and ecologically distinct parts:  Swan lake is a wetland and the rocky oak forested tree hilltop of Christmas Hill (the hill).  I can attest to the rocky hilltop as I have a very large rock in my back yard and makes lawn care a breeze.

The hill, which has been a protected natural sanctuary since 1975, is home to over 250 plants and the diverse ecosystem of the Gary oak woodlands.   The hill was shaped by at least four glacial periods in the last million years.  There are shallow and wide grooves in the bedrock, and they evidence of loose rocks being slowly and deliberately pushed southwards (Christmas Hill Management Plan , 2011, p. 9).

This area was an important hunting and gathering area for the Songhees people who relied on the variety of plants such as the camas lily, wild onions, western crab apple, chocolate lily bulbs, and many different types of berries for food and medicines.  Additionally,  the lake and streams would have provided a variety of fish and there would have been many different types of birds, deer and wildlife that would have provided a balanced diet.

According to the District of Saanich, the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation sold the land to the Hudson’s Bay Company in the 1850s.  The land was then divided into private farms and used for dairy farming and sheep farming (Saanich Archives, 2020, p. 3).  In the early 1900s, a rock quarry was established on Christmas Hill, and the extracted materials were used to pave the major roads in the area that remain in use today. Over the years, efforts to protect Christmas Hill’s ecosystem have focused on removing invasive species such as Scotch broom, Himalayan blackberry, and daphne.  The Christmas Hill Management Plan, drafted in 2011, set out land management objectives to preserve and safeguard the Hill.

The area is surrounded by large Douglas firs and Garry oak trees. The Garry oak ecosystem is rare and irreplaceable, existing only in British Columbia. To protect this ecosystem, the  Conservation and Site Protection Recovery Action Group of the Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team (GOERT, 2025) was established.  In May 2024, Christmas Hill was designated a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA).    KBAs are special areas that support rare and endangered species, ecosystems and key natural processes (Capital Daily, 2024).

The Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature House has a library, a bee colony, classrooms, nature exhibits, and hosts a variety of community events. I remember going on a tour around Swan Lake over 40 years ago when I was in elementary school.

Although Christmas Hill and Swan Lake are sanctuaries, urban development has gradually encroached on the area, while still maintaining some of its historical roots. While all the farmland has been sold and developed, an original farmhouse still stands on my street, and the nearby elementary school is named after a family that once owned a large farm in the area.

Stormwater management is handled by the District of Saanich (Saanich).  According to their website, Saanich has various networks of natural and engineered infrastructure. It appears they have many different networks natural and engineered infrastructure that helps to divert, slow and hold access water which include, catch basins, storm drains, watercourse and ditches, stormwater management facilities, natural wetlands, floodplains and outfalls (Saanich, 2025).

Saanich also has an extensive recycling and composting program, which includes services such as yard waste, leaf pick up in the fall and “green” waste pick up.  Efforts to promote sustainability and environmental stewardship are evident in initiatives such as expanding bike lanes, enhancing biking infrastructure and prioritizing public transit.  However, there seems to have been a gap in the public engagement strategy regarding the Quadra/McKenize corridor, as reflected in the angry letters I see in my mailbox, the papers and local online forums.  I suspect the locals are supportive of environmental sustainability, if it doesn’t impact their commute to work or school.

In conclusion, the Christmas Hill/Swan Lake area is both a unique and ecologic and culturally important area within Saanich.  The rocky landscape that has been shaped by glaciers and home to a rare ecosystem such as the Gary oak woodlands demonstrates the historical and cultural value of this area.  It has served as an important site for Indigenous Peoples for hunting, gathering, fishing and collecting plants for food and medicinal purposes, a source of materials for a rock quarry and productive farmland.  Living here has provided me with the opportunity to explore the area with my family, hiking up Christmas Hills and exploring the trails and this assignment has deepened my understanding of the ongoing environmental stewardship efforts aimed at sustaining this space for future generations.

Works Cited

Capital Daily. (2024, May 23). Retrieved January 18, 2024

Christmas Hill Management Plan . (2011). Retrieved January 18, 2025

GOERT. (2025). Retrieved January 18, 2025

Morrison, T. (2015, November). A Brief Guide and History of the Nature Sanctuary. Retrieved January 19, 2025, from https://www.swanlake.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/8_ABriefGuideAndHistoryofTheNatureSanctuary.pdf

Saanich. (2025). Retrieved January 18, 2025

Saanich Archives. (2020, September). Retrieved January 19, 2025