West Beach May 29, 2021

May 31, 2021

First Session Group Photo

Second Session Group Photo

Third Session Group Photo

ALL PHOTOS from the first session can be found HERE, second session HERE, and third session HERE!

Highlights

In total 24 LMGT volunteers participated and contributed 36 hours total
Over 2 cubic metres of Himalayan blackberry was removed, including some of the largest root crowns we have seen!
9 volunteers visited West Beach for the first time
13 volunteers removed invasive Himalayan blackberry for the first time
Our youngest volunteer was Remi at 3 years old
Lyda, the Executive Director and Founder of our charity Green Teams of Canada, came out for the first session and part of the second to take some awesome photos
Volunteers took home a gift from one of our in-kind sponsors who generously donated their products to our community including: EarthRated dog poop bags, tea lights and matches from Honey Candles, soap from Eartheasy, and West Coast Seeds
We were featured in the Peace Arch News TWICE! Click HERE to read the first article and HERE to read the second, which was also printed in the June 10, 2021 paper!

Summary

On Saturday May 29, 2021 the Lower Mainland Green Team and the City of White Rock joined forces to remove invasive Himalayan blackberry from West Beach in White Rock. We couldn’t have asked for a better day or a better site as everyone got to enjoy sunshine, a gentle breeze and a day down at the beach. Together participants pulled out some of the largest Himalayan blackberry crowns we have seen and helped restore this natural area. We had a mixture of experienced Lower Mainland Green Team volunteers and community members joining us for the first time who were able to socialize and connect with each other in a safe way!

Environmental stewardship is a collaborative effort and it is important to return to sites to ensure a long lasting impact. This was our first time at this site and we look forward to being back to remove more blackberry and eventually plant some native species! We received lots of support from passersby who were excited to see this type of initiative happening in their community and were keen to learn how they could participate. Following the current COVID-19 restrictions, this activity had three sessions engaging a youth group in the first session, up to 9 people in the second and third session and implemented the safety measures outlined in our COVID-19 Safety Plan.

Thank You!

Thank you to the 1st Semiahmoo Scouts and Venturers for coming out to get some hands-on outdoor education in the community: Sacha, Heather, Dusty, Zak, Devon, Greyson, Ann, Stephanie! A big thanks to Heather for organizing on your end!

Thank you to all of the hard-working, enthusiastic community members we had out: Doreen, Francis, Sanja, Vicki, Doug, Xuguang, Rita, Paul, Diana, Jordan, Connor, Kaz, Samantha, Yuxuan, Ivy and Remi!

A huge thank you to Egan Davis, the City of White Rock’s new Manager of Parks, for coming out and supporting the valuable work that we do! We absolutely love working with the City of White Rock and have nurtured a wonderful partnership with them since 2013. We look forward to continuing our work in the community with you!

We want to extend a special thanks to Nick Greenizan from Peace Arch News for providing amazing coverage for all of the work we do in White Rock. A number of our volunteers found out about this opportunity through the article you shared HERE and your coverage goes a long way in supporting the work of our charity!

What Volunteers Said

“I feel this program brings communities together to work towards a common goal, removing invasive plants, in this case, and a sense of pride when we have the before and after pictures to show how a group of people can achieve great accomplishments… Thank you Ashton and Lyda and the City of White Rock for putting this event together and getting communities outside in a safe and productive manner!” – Diana

“Great to meet diverse people while having a positive impact on the environment” – Doug

“I enjoyed all of it… I am very excited to be a part of a team that digs up invasive species. I definitely want to be a part of re-planting native species in their place.” – Samantha