Creating a Terrestrial Ecosystem Map for Woodwynn Farms on the Saanich Peninsula

Abstract

Woodwynn Farms is a 193-acre transitional organic farm on the Saanich Peninsula of Vancouver Island, BC. It is one of the largest parcels of land on the peninsula left in the ALR (Agricultural Land Reserve). The property borders West Saanich and Mount Newton X Road and several residential properties. The farm is private property and is cared for by the Creating Homefulness Society, volunteers, and people who have suffered from homelessness and want to make a positive change in their lives and others. The produce which is harvested and the animals raised (currently just pigs) provide food for residents and a surplus is sold at the Woodwynn Market.
Woodwynn Farms are on the right track to agricultural rehabilitation, meaning undoing the mistakes that modern agricultural practices can leave behind. These mistakes are often streamed contamination from fertilizers, animals, pesticides, and herbicides, soil erosion from animal compaction and trampling, soil contamination from frequent chemicals, and loss of biodiversity from monoculture crops such as hay. The intentions are good, and positive changes can be made to the land with further assistance from local groups such as the Peninsula Streams Society and Habitat Acquisition Trusts’ Good Neighbours program. For future buildings, I would suggest replacing older buildings or giving up unneeded hay fields, such as polygons 43 and 44.