Projects
Help us monitor Western Painted Turtles on site!
If you have spotted a Western Painted Turtle in the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary grounds and surrounding area, please use this survey [URL embedded] to help us get a better idea of their population size and their behaviors. This will help us with moving towards obtaining Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) designation for Swan Lake and continuing to protect and conserve this rare species.
Projects on Site
We regularly have researchers, interns and other students on site doing various projects.
If you are interested in conducting work (biological, social, physical sciences or art-based projects) at the Nature Sanctuary, please:
- Complete and submit a Memorandum of Understanding and Research Waiver Form. Please follow the instructions in the form for completion and submission. Once your request has been received and reviewed, we will contact you.
- Once you have been approved to conduct research on-site, all permit protocols for fieldwork must be followed. If work is not being carried out aligned with site conservation and restoration goals, research may be halted.
- After research is complete, collected data and associated reports and findings must be made available to the Nature Sanctuary with three months.
Here are some useful readings that provide ecological and cultural context:
- Swan Lake and Christmas Hill’s Management Plans
- History about the Nature Sanctuary, including Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary From the Ground Up: A Brief Guide and History
- The Ecosystems
- Research and Restoration
- iNaturalist Project
Connect with us to learn more here: info [at] swanlake.bc.ca
Current Project(s):
Sabrina Francescangeli's project "Community-Engaged Care for Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species in an Urban Nature Park" aims to better understand how to get local community members more engaged in pro-environmental behaviours at urban nature parks like Swan Lake. With the use of a psychological lens, this review takes into consideration species conservation practices that parks have successfully implemented in the past, with a specific focus on including equity-deserving groups. (UVic, Graduate Sustainability Scholars Program, Summer 2024)
Past Projects:
Katie (Queen's University, Teaching Alternative Practicum). Environmental Education in Community. (Spring 2024)
Nat (UVic, Directed Studies). Endangered Species Habitat Restoration with a Community-Engaged Lens (Spring 2024)
Darragh, Clara, Frankie, Magdalen and Cyrus (UVic, Geography). Christmas Hill Storymap. (Spring 2024)
Shayden (UVic, Directed Studies). Species Monitoring with a Community-Engaged Lens (Spring 2024)
Brigitte & Michelyn (UVic, Social Science 300 – Working in the Community). Vermicomposting at the Nature House (Spring 2024)
Other Past Projects:
Mariah (UVic, Fine Arts) created a beautiful video about springtime at the Nature Sanctuary with Jay Rastogi (Spring 2023)
Kristine (Global Field Program, Miami University, BIO 634: Issues in Evolution) put together a report on the Evolution Education with Threespine Stickleback at Swan Lake in B.C. that accompanied an infographic. (Spring 2023)
Pacific Rim Permaculture Students created draft designs for a possible garden site. (Fall 2022)
Sarah (UVic, Science Communication and Ecological Restoration course) wrote a communications plan for our nearest neighbours (Fall 2022)
Kayla (Camosun, Practicum, in conjunction with Sanctuary Youth Centre) researched at-risk youth and substance users' barriers to participation in nature. (Fall 2022)
Sarah and Severine (UVic, Social Science 300 – Working in the Community) created a web map and content for our Nature House Native Plant Walk. (Fall 2022)
More Past Projects:
Inspire: STEM for Social Impact University of Victoria students determined a viable method to monitor the visitor traffic to our site. The monitoring system is able to use MAC address data to assess visitors in service of conserving and protecting Nature Sanctuary waters and lands. (Summer 2022)
Jake (UVic, Social Science 300 – Working in the Community) surveyed visitors and Sanctuary Nature Ambassadors Program (SNAP) volunteers to look at best ways to help promote the conservation bylaws (no dogs, no bicycles) on site. (Spring 2022)
Ruby researched the ethnoecological significance of Swan Lake, and the past and present histories that became the Nature Sanctuary. (Spring 2022)
Kai (UVic) archived and updated our photopoint monitoring program on Christmas Hill. (Fall 2021)
UVic Marketing students created marketing and communications plans to encourage more young people to get involved with the Nature Sanctuary. (Fall 2021)
Samara (UVic, Social Science 300 – Working in the Community) created curriculum content to help expand community awareness into Garry Oak Ecosystems. (Fall 2021)
Mekenzie (UVic) designed a community mapping project to look at the ways visitors explore the Nature Sanctuary and an infographic to help frame how to reconnect to nature. (Summer 2021)
Kireni (McGill) co-authored a Newcomer Grab & Go Nature booklet, assisted with site work and wrote a song. (Summer 2021)
Tomas (UVic) assessed how to improve the ecological function of a stream and wetland site at the Nature Sanctuary. (Spring 2021)
