Mystic Vale

Mystic Vale is a forested ravine that was acquired by the University of Victoria in 1993 and is located outside the ring road to the south east of campus. It's tree canopy is dominated by large specimens of Douglas-fir and grand fir. A few western red cedar also occur. Scattered among these conifers are deciduous trees such as bigleaf maple, black cottonwood, and willow. Some Garry oak is present at the forest edge. Canada's only native broadleaf evergreen tree, the arbutus, is also present.

Mystic Vale proves to be one of the most popular green spaces on campus as thousands of students and community members access the area each year for both recreational and academic purposes. The University is committed to the preservation of Mystic Vale and the surrounding Haro Woods to ensure the long-term health of the area as habitat for local flora and fauna. Several ecoaction groups and sustainability projects have been implemented to preserve the conditions of the ravine, including creating detention ponds to minimize stream bank erosion and removing invasive species like ivy, daphne and holly.

From http://www.uvic.ca/anniversary/history/stories/icons/index.php Mystic Vale, 4.7 hectares (11.6 acres) of natural coniferous woodland, can be found in the south-east area of University of Victoria’s campus. Much of Mystic Vale comprises a steep-sided gully with slopes of 20-30º and belongs to the Hobbs Creek Watershed. The university campus is part of the Straits Coast Salish peoples’ traditional homeland. For thousands of years, Mystic Vale was utilized for harvesting plants, hunting and fishing.