Introducing Traditional Blue Camas (Camassia leichtlinii and C. quamash) Cultivation Practices into a Garry Oak (Quercus garryana) Meadow Preserve in British Columbia: Ecological and Social Dimensions of Ethnoecological Restoration

Integration of cultural restoration, including traditional food cultivation practices, with the restoration and management of anthropogenic ecosystems remains largely unexplored. Despite the fact that traditional blue camas cultivation, including harvesting and management at different scales, likely helped to shape and maintain the Garry oak meadow plant community, reintroduction of this practice is seldom incorporated into restoration or management projects.

My research endeavors to clarify a number of uncertainties surrounding the compatibility of camas cultivation practices with ecological restoration and conservation of biological diversity. In a deep soil Garry oak meadow site, I simulated traditional Coast Salish camas harvesting practices in an area with existing blue camas populations. I will monitor the effects of this activity on the blue camas plant community, the overall plant diversity, and the soil ecology within my experimental plots.

Another component of my research involves documenting the current interest, opportunities, challenges and potential approaches to introducing blue camas cultivation into parks or preserves. To investigate these questions I will interview interested individuals and land managers from Vancouver Island First Nations and non-First Nations communities.