Upcoming courses:

Fall course registration opened on May 1, 2023. Courses can fill up fast, so be sure to register early to get your seat! Please register for your course online if you are a program student or call the Continuing Studies registration desk 250-472-4747.

Restoration of Natural Systems Program (RNS)

FALL 2023 TERM:

Ecological Restoration Program (ER PSC)

FALL 2023 TERM:

5-year schedules online

Bookmark the 5-year program schedule for quick access:

Program updates

Summer social: save the date! 

Join us on Saturday June 17th, 5-8pm for an evening of socializing, ER390 posters, a talk organized by the Society of Ecological Restoration Student Chapter, and light refreshments in room 276 of the Continuing Studies Building. 

Please RSVP to ecorestoraupdatestion@uvic.ca by June 1st.

 

Meet our advisory committee

You can read all about the members of our RNS Advisory Committee here. If you have questions about careers or want to get some advice, these members would be happy to answer your questions:

  • Marika Smith, M.Sc (Environmental Science Royal Roads University), Sustainable Waste Management Specialist, City of Victoria, BC. Marika is the Sustainability Specialist for the City of Victoria’s Zero Waste Team. She leads the single-use items and plastic reduction policy work and has a research background in soil toxicology and microplastics effects on industrial compost

  • Paul de Greeff, B.Sc (Geography and Environmental Studies), Manager, Parks Planning and Development, District of Saanich, BC. Paul is a Registered Landscape Architect who owned and operated a private consulting firm in Victoria for 20 years before moving to the public sector. Paul now manages the District of Saanich’s Parks Development Planning and Construction divisions.

    As a practicing landscape architect, Paul has been fortunate to work on a range of engaging projects, including Fisherman’s Wharf Park, the Victoria Courthouse Green, Qualicum Memorial Drive Rain Gardens, and Colwood’s Waterfront Stewardship Plan. His current work with Saanich includes leading a team to plan the future of 173 parks, over half of which contain sensitive ecosystems.

  • Angeline Tillmanns, PhD (Ecology), Unit Head, State of Environment Reporting – Science Policy and Economics Branch, BC Ministry of Environment. 

    Angeline received her PhD in freshwater ecology from the University of Ottawa. She now works for the B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship as a water quality scientist. Angeline is particularly interesting in raising the profile of emergent contaminants in storm water and supporting efforts to capture or redirect urban rainwater so it does not contaminant neighbouring water bodies.

To get in touch with any of these members, contact the program coordinator at resscipc@uvic.ca

Make a difference week 2023 volunteer call-out

The team behind the Vancouver Island Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (VIDER) is seeking volunteers for Make A Difference Week 2023! From June 3-11, 2023, local organizations in the Greater Victoria area will be hosting a wide range of events encompassing the principles of ecosystem restoration. 

Last year, volunteers cleaned litter from beaches, planted native seedlings, removed invasive species, hopped around the Gulf Islands, fawned over baby Great Horned owls and so much more. If you are passionate about hands-on restoration work and collaborating with other restoration enthusiasts in your community, email makeadifferenceweek@gmail.com. 

Our VIDER team is made up of UVic students Rachel, Madeleine, Isabel, and Andrea, who are always game to talk restoration. Interested in hosting your own event for Make a Difference Week 2023? Send us an email and you'll find support on registering as a host organization and accessing volunteers to make your event a success.

New: BC Energy Regulator Indigenous Award in Restoration of Natural Systems

Two awards of up to $2,500 are given annually to entering or continuing Canadian-born Indigenous students in the Restoration of Natural Systems (RNS) program with demonstrated financial need. Contact the program coordinator for more information resscipc@uvic.ca.

RNS program student resource site

There's a new online resource in Brightspace for the Restoration of Natural Systems programs. Enrol yourself and find resources to orient yourself to the program. You’ll find information to help you plan courses and complete your program. There is also information on local volunteering opportunities and professional development. It’s free to sign up! View resource site

Becoming more involved!

There has been a surge of student activity in the restoration realm on campus, and it has created amazing opportunities to increase your involvement with restoration and interact with your fellow students:

  1. The Ecological Restoration Club is actively restoring the campus oak meadow, working on native plant propagation on campus, and conducting lots of trips and excursions for local restoration events. If you’re interested in joining up, email nature@uvic.ca.
  2. Our students are leading the ratification and registration of our very own Society of Ecological Restoration Student Chapter! They will be focused on connecting with professionals, each other and SER in Western Canada and internationally. For more information, email Andrea Kwok.
  3. The Greater Victoria Green Teamis always planning events. These have limited space, so we encourage interested volunteers to RSVP as soon as they can on our Meetup page. Details can be found on our Meetup page. Everyone of any age or experience level is welcome to all of our activities—we will provide the necessary training and tools (and snacks!).

 

Reminder: checking your grades

We encourage you to sign in and check your final grades online. Depending on whether you are a credit or non-credit student, there are different places to check your final course grades.
 
If you are an RNS Diploma (credit) student: you can view your grades by signing in to the UVic home page and searching under “My online tools”.
 
If you are an RNS Certificate or ER Certificate (non-credit) student: you can view your grades by signing in to Continuing Studies Website. Click on “My Account” near the top right of the page, then click on “Transcripts, Reports, Tax Forms” on the left hand side menu and select Administrative Transcript.

Post nominal letters

Wondering what to put behind your name once you graduate? Here are the post nominal letters according to program:

  • Restoration of Natural Systems Diploma: Dip.RNS
  • Restoration of Natural Systems Certificate: Cert.RNS
  • Professional Specialization in Ecological Restoration: PSCert.ER

 

390 project ideas

If you are interested in finding a 390 project, please consider the following:

GWAS pollinator restoration

The Gorge Watershed Action Society has been restoring and maintaining a diverse pollinator garden in Victoria. Over the past two years, GWAS has completed four biophysical inventories and three insect and bird point surveys of the area to help determine species diversity and abundance of the restoration site. GWAS is grateful for the opportunity to work within Gorge Park to help enhance biodiversity, as well as provide an educational space for young professionals to develop critical hands-on jobs skills to help advance them in the environmental job sector following university. They are planning on expanding and enriching the garden over the next few years, and looking for a student to support their efforts.

Gardens for supporting diverse community members

The Executive Director of Shekinah Homes, three homes and support adults with diverse abilities, has approached us about a local project. They are interested in partnering to make a design plan and to possibly execute a renovation to their yards. They need a design for garden spaces that are accessible, greener, include seating, water feature, low maintenance, visual attraction, touchable, fragrance, and with privacy for the diverse community members. They are a non-profit organization based in Victoria, and are raising funds towards these upgrades.

Ayum Creek restoration

The Land Conservancy is looking for interested students to help support and plan restoration in Ayum Creek in Sooke. To date, work has focused on hydrology and invasive species control. Ongoing efforts would include real-world aspects like funding, partnerships, permits, First Nations relations, etc. Students can participate in the actual field work, planning for and implementing additional restoration, and/or project mapping.

If you are interested in getting emailed updates about potential projects, and announcements about information sessions, please let Nancy know (nshack@uvic.ca).

Please don’t forget to apply for the Lorene Kennedy Field Award for some financial support for your final project!

 

Other updates

If you are currently looking for work, here are some employer websites to check out:

Looking to volunteer?

The following groups are recruiting volunteers:

Want to connect with the larger UVic Environmental Studies community?

  • Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter and find out relevant information on local events, seminars, volunteer opportunities and more.  
  • Join the Ecological Restoration Club on campus as they implement restoration plans on campus lands. Email: nature@uvic.ca for more information, or visit their Facebook page.
  • Engage with regional restoration planning for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (email: makeadifferenceweek@gmail.com), or join the RNS launch of a SER Student Chapter (email: nshack@uvic.ca).
 

For more information:

Tusa Shea, Program Coordinator 250-721-8463 | ecorestoration@uvic.ca

Aly Trippel, Program Assistant | 250-721-8458 | bstadmin@uvic.ca

Nancy Shackelford, Academic Director | 250-472-4387 | nshack@uvic.ca

  • Posted May 5, 2023