How do you restore an Urban Bog? Why is xʷməm̓qʷe:m Camosun bog important?

 

Camosun Bog Restoration Group method for bog restoration:  Watch this video. The teens in this video are my students when I taught at PW.  They learned their plantae unit by joining a work party!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSrEhGSnhiY

Why  xʷməm̓qʷe:m, Camosun bog , is important: Listen to  Elder Larry Grant talk about  xʷməm̓qʷe:m.  By the way, Elder, Larry Grant's parents are Musqeuam and  Chinese.  In addition to being a speaker of the Musqueam language, he understands and speaks Cantonese.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6K7jASVzl8

Watch Elder Larry Grant's personal story:  He is a language keeper of the Musqueam People.

Watch the creation story of the Musqueam people . Their story begins  in Camosun bog.

The double headed serpent story 

 The Double-Headed Serpent from Deadpixel on Vimeo.

This is a pole carved by a Musqueam artist and related to the fourth video above.  It is  located in UBC and this is what it means 

Transcript of Elder Larry Grant video:

The bog is an integral part of Musqueam. In Musqueam history and the story of Musqueam. So that real connection. When that bog, it’s quite a few things actually when the bog shrinks, that means that people have drained the bog. For urbanization and use of land, removing what western culture called unusable land or unusable space, for I would say non cultural walk to us non-cultural activity to the Musqueam people. Why would you drain a bog, it carries so much life, if it’s drained it’s allowed to shrink even more. That actually erases all the corroborating evidence of the story of Musqueam and it’s eradicating cultural identity, Aboriginal identity, it’s eradicating Aboriginal identity, in that sense where it removes all traces of any of the stories that we will be able to tell or we can still tell the story, but we won’t be able to say that this is where it originates. And if it’s completely drained, that’s just another step in removing all traces of First Nations People. I would like to see it grow actually but that takes a lot of effort, I would like to see it open up a little more and all those Indigenous plants that are there, allowed to expand a bit because then it becomes a teaching tool for all people. About the value of the bog, the biodiversity that’s in there is amazing, yeah, and it’s set up where people can walk though there and have a look and get very close to all the plants and the mallard ducks are still there. They sit in that center pond and just live be around up there and actually be part of the story of Musqueam. There is a mallard duck in there, there’s actually a little family of mallard ducks in there so. 

BIOLOGY ASSIGNMENT 8
DRAW a hand drawn cartoon summary of the  videos which you see above as well as the meaning of the pole above.  You should  make at least three pages, one for each video.  In your assignment, try to write in musqueam!  Tell the story of Elder Larry Grant too, who is a Musqueam Elder (and a Musqueam-Chinese Canadian)

OR 

WRITE an illustrated essay using photos like screen captures of the videos and illustrate your essay with photos.  Remember that if you use a phrase from a source, to use quotations and cite the source. 


EVALUATION 
20 -  your work is outstanding and excellent. It looks amazing and stands out. you hand in your blog address so I can read this work.
18-19 - your work is excellent showing attention to detail.  You summarize the key points and you don't miss anything.  Your drawings tell the story of the videos and links.  Your writing summarizes the key points in an engaging writing style. You cite your sources and also you have posted your work on your blog, which you send to me. You show creativity.

15-17. your work shows a high standard of quality. your drawings are beautiful or your writing is excellent and engaging to the reader.  You show creativity. you could have included a few more details or you did not cite your sources. You uploaded and handed this in on your blog.

10-14. your work is a very good start and shows alot of promise.  Your drawings are extremely well done. You might need to add a few more details to make it more complete

0-10. your work is incomplete.

xʷməm̓qʷe:m. Camosun Bog, An introduction.

I would like to introduce you to a very special ecosystem in our city.  It is over 2000 years old: likely the oldest part of Vancouver and it is the unceded traditional territory of the Musqueam people. Camosun bog is so important that it forms part of their creation story.

First have a look at the bog powerpoint slideshow here to find out what a bog is.


 Then, read about the  story of Camosun bog here

And in particular note the
history as it relates to bog restoration. on the main Camosun bog site


I would like you to answer the following questions in a creative format with illustration.  Make a cartoon,  or an illustrated essay reflection with lots of photos


1.  How was the bog formed?
2. What is the keystone species of a bog?  Read about Sphagnum moss.  How does Sphagnum maintain the acidic conditions.
3.  What is peat?  How is it different from soil?
4.  Why is digging through a bog like digging through time?
5.  We never found any bodies in the bog, but some artifacts were preserved in Camosun bog.  What were they?




6.  This woman remembers playing hockey in Camosun bog.  What were some of her observations?

7.  How are bogs carbon sinks?  Why is this important?
8. Camosun bog, məqʷe:m,  is the traditional territory of the Musqueam people. How long have they been using this area for food, medicine and culture?
9.  What nearly destroyed the bog?  
10. The change in abiotic conditions caused "invasives"  to go into the bog.  These are actually native forest species and not invasives to BC but they are invaders to a bog.  What plants are these?

11.  What are the native plants in a bog? Take a look

Evaluation for the cartoon
20   your cartoon stands out from all the rest.  it is well thought out and work has been put into it.
       It  is  in ink or colour. it includes all the major points.  YOU HAND THIS IN ON YOUR BLOG
17-19  your cartoon is really excellent and it includes all the major points. it is in colour and in ink.
You hand this in on your blog.
15-16  your cartoon is quite good. it may be missing a few details but it is well done
0-10 . your cartoon is a good start but it is incomplete

Evaluation for illustrated writing. 
20   your writing is exceptional and includes all the major details of the content.  It is insightful and shows that thought was put into the writing. It is excellent and you communicate the ideas very clearly.  You include excellent pictures.  And you cite where you got the pictures.

17-19.   your writing is excellent  and enjoyable to read.  and includes all the correct details. You  communicate clearly.  You include excellent pictures.  And you cite where you got the pictures.
You hand this in on your blog.
14-16  your content is really good, it is missing a few details but still very well done and well written.

0-10 . your writing is incomplete.