In 2016, our co-founder, Sharon Hope was hired by the District to conduct an assessment of all the parks and trails in North Saanich for fire hazards and ecological concerns. Many parks were overrun with invasive species. Others contained significant dumping of debris, garbage, and other woody and organic material.
When Sharon met Ashlee Scanlon, who worked for Central Saanich at the time, they decided to initiate a "friends group" to start operating in the parks as a sort of model for best ecological practices. We held our first event in February 2017 at R.O. Bull Park. After 14 work parties in the park we were able to declare it essentially invasive-free. We conduct yearly visits to parks with this status to remove any recurring weeds.
The Friends of North Saanich Parks became a non-profit society in 2020, and a registered charity effective November 2021. This means we can issue tax receipts for financial donations.
We obtained most of our tools through donations and garage sales. In 2023 we added a tool shed to our assets.
In the past few years we have collaborated with students and consultants to publish numerous ecological studies about the parks.
Since our founding we have held hundreds of volunteer events in the parks. We are currently active in ten parks and on one trail.