Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team (GOERT)

Mt. Maxwell Ecological Reserve/Burgoyne Bay

There are 258 hectares of Garry oak habitat at Burgoyne Bay (southwest side of Salt Spring Island). Management as a provincial Ecological Reserve restricts public access, and any on-site research activities require permits from BC Parks. Two fenced exclosures eliminate grazing by feral livestock and deer; the exclosures are monitored to track vegetation patterns, particularly Garry oak regeneration, where grazing has been eliminated. There are ongoing efforts to control invasive species, particularly Scotch broom.