Community

“We have the opportunity to design a future that is more sustainable, if we take the time and make the effort now. We have the responsibility to make our campus, our community and our planet, more resilient and sustainable and correct the damages that we have created. The Royal Roads Campus Green Guide is another way for us to make a difference.”

 – Dr. Allan Cahoon, President 

What we’re doing

• We guard and steward this 277-hectare National Heritage Site, a temperate rainforest ecosystem.
• Royal Roads is home to one of the last characteristic Coastal Douglas Fir ecosystems in British Columbia and has seven of the eleven largest “veteran” Coastal Douglas Firs in the province.
• The campus sits above a vital federally-designated migratory bird sanctuary.
• The site is comprised of 80% native plant species, creating a rich and biologically diverse range of native habitats for wildlife.
• The Royal Roads University Wetland Ecosystem Restoration project will restore approximately 10 acres of land to a functioning wetland ecosystem on campus.
• Yard waste is composted on grounds and used as an amendment for grounds maintenance-the compost allows the soil to hang onto nutrients and water longer.

What you can do

• Help protect the endangered ecological integrity of RRU’s landscape. Walk lightly and take only photographs.
• Share the trails with our neighbors, visitors, and animal friends.
• Do report a fire, dangerous tree or other hazard you may discover.
• Help the wildlife stay wild. Please do not feed the animals or discard food items in the forest.
• Pack out what you pack in. Waste management centers are located throughout the campus. 
• Stay on the designated trails. 
• Share the trails.
• Ride bikes on packed trails and roads instead of mountain biking through sensitive areas.
• Enjoy nature on campus without disturbing or agitating wildlife.
• Be mindful of your surroundings. These forests also provide wildlife protective habitat.
• Respect signs that indicate sensitive areas such as First Nations cultural sites and restoration zones.

Did you know?

• We’re closely with other land stewards to restore and preserve a historical wetland.
• We preserve culturally and historically significant First Nations sites such as culturally modified cedar trees “the Tree of Life” and shell middens. 
• It’s a great place for bird watching, hiking, and nature discovery.
• We promote economic sustainability through their Center for Livelihoods and Ecology which conducts strategic and applied research to encourage the wise use of natural resources as a way to diversify and sustain rural communities.
• The campus sits above a vital federally-designated migratory bird sanctuary.
• The campus is comprised of 80% native plant species, creating a rich and biologically diverse range of native habitats for wildlife.
• We apply an environmentally friendly adaptive management approach to keep the campus and gardens green and “weed” free. Deadfall trees are left to decay and enrich the ground with their nutrients. Gardening debris is composted to be used on the grounds as nutrient enhancement.
• The forest is home to deer, raccoons, squirrels, cougars, mink and otters as well as a large variety of birds including owls and eagles.
• We believe in a minimal footprint… walk lightly and take only photographs. 
• We maximize the re-use of existing buildings, sites, and infrastructure.
• We concentrate construction of new facilities in disturbed areas and on developed sites (RRU, 2011).
• Hatley Park is also one of the only heritage sites in Canada containing an intact mature growth forest with some of the oldest veteran trees in Canada (RRU, 2006).
• Unique mini ecosystems including wetlands, Garry oak forest, cedar kettles.
• Top of the campus, mow free zone, is in place to reintroduce important garry oak ecosystem including a wildflower meadow.
• 100m from the lagoon is also protected as federal migratory bird sanctuary and houses a Killdeer nesting site.

Royal Roads University has established partnerships with their local communities enabling them to actively assist the communities in sustainable development, for more information visit: sustainability.royalroads.ca/partnerships

Colwood Community Place

Esquimalt Lagoon Stewardship Initiative

Nature Conservancy Canada

Quest: Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow

Wetland Ecosystem Restoration at Royal Roads University