In 2006 ELSI received $8,000 from the Evergreen Foundation for a pilot Dune Habitat Restoration project on the Coburg Peninsula. The goals of the project were to:
- restore native dune habitats through the establishment of demonstration restoration plots
- realign beach access points and benches to reduce trampling across sensitive dune habitat
- monitor the effectiveness of restoration
- raise public awareness of dune habitats and engage residents and visitors in stewardship of the dunes.
In consultation with ELSI, the City of Colwood’s Parks Department contributed to the project by defining beach access paths, aligning benches with the access paths and decommissioning some vehicle parking spaces. School groups, community groups and individual volunteers then worked with ELSI to plant nearly 2,000 native plants in the restoration plots and decommissioned parking areas. Students from Camosun College’s Environmental Technology program and the University of Victoria’s Restoration of Natural Systems program participated by doing ecological analysis, monitoring and report writing.