A commentary by a Saanich resident.

Buried on page 135 of Saanich’s Quadra-McKenzie Plan are clues of what is in store for present and future residents of Saanich.

Two words that can better connect our imaginations to this place, quicker than just about any other term in the plan, have been relegated to the ­Quadra-McKenzie Plan’s g­lossary: Garry oak.

If you’ve ever navigated the Quadra and McKenzie area, you’ll know you can wander in any direction and ­encounter truly unique ­woodlands and ­individual Garry oak trees blended into the built ­environment.

The dominant species in this area is Garry oak, and casual observations confirm that ­dozens of other species that ­co-evolved with this tree species are also present.

The critically endangered remnants of the kwetlal or Garry oak ecosystem exist in the Quadra and McKenzie area today in large part because of lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ ­stewardship.

In the 2010s, as pressure to bypass development ­practices that preserve trees and ­ecosystems intensified, Saanich residents could count on the ­consistent public support of Dean Murdock, then councillor, for the Garry oak ecosystem.

When........

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