Thurston Woods Trail (off Noons Creek Drive), Port Moody – November 19, 2022
Highlights
- 37 community members of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels joined us and contributed 108 hours total
- Thank you so much for your hard work and for making this day amazing: Aaron, Alex, Alisa, Amos, Angel, Angie, April, Carell, Cheryl, Colin, Daniel, Gary, Gursimar, Heikal, Jade H., Jade L., Jan, Jasmine Kaur, Jim, Kai, Kira, Kohinur Kamal, Lingling, Luthfa, Marcella, Matthew, Md Firoz Mahmood, Mir Rakib, Mir Ruwayd, Navdeep, Navneet, Nicholas, Olivia, Queena, Richard, Sabbir and Steven!
- Our Green Team brought together people from Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and Surrey!
- 25 cubic metres of invasive English ivy was removed (equivalent to the volume of 156 bathtubs!), be sure to check out the before and after photos at the bottom of this page!
- An area of 360 metres squared had invasive plants removed from it and was revitalized thanks to the hard work of our Green Team
- 34 participants visited this trail for the first time
- 14 participants removed invasive plants for the first time
- Our Community Investment Partner, the City of Port Moody, made this activity possible through their funding and direction!
On Saturday November 19, 2022 the Lower Mainland Green Team and City of Port Moody joined forces to engage community members in removing invasive English ivy from Thurston Woods Trail (off Noons Creek Dr) in Port Moody.
On this crisp and sunny day, 37 community members of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels teamed up to rescue native plants and trees from being overtaken by ivy along a beautiful urban trail. In removing the thick layer of ivy that was overtaking native plants and swarming the base of mature trees, our community built on restoration work done by those living in the area. Thanks to this collaborative effort, trees young and old and shrubs of all shapes and sizes are better able to grow and thrive!
English ivy is a common invasive plant found in our forests, gardens and even as house plants! Creating a thick mat on the forest floor, English ivy smothers shrubs, ferns and climbs up trees, adding extra weight and competing with the tree for resources. If left unchecked for too long, ivy can kill mature trees within as little as 10 years. In addition to planting new trees, it’s important that we take care of mature trees which currently sequester carbon, regulate temperatures, reduce flooding and erosion, provide fresh air and more!
When we remove invasive plants we are helping to increase biodiversity and ecosystem resilience, which strengthens and enables the area to better adapt to the effects of climate change. We can all do our part by not buying these plants, removing and replacing them with native vegetation, and educating others.
By learning about environmental issues such as those caused by invasive species in a hands-on way, communities are better equipped to tackle such problems. Additionally, our community members met new people, gained new skills and were able to experience the benefits of being out in nature including reduced levels of stress and anxiety, and improved moody, memory, focus and mental clarity. Not to mention the great physical exercise everyone got while restoring the area! By connecting people to nature, we help instil responsible environmental behaviour that extends beyond our activities.
It was hard to resist snacks including homemade vegan brownies, hot chocolate, carrots and dip, veggie chips and Munchies, trail mix, NoochPop and more during our break!
Megan handing out yummy NoochPop Popcorn that was generously provided to our Green Team to reward our hard-working community at the break!
Our community members took home a thank you gift from one of our in-kind supporters including Replaceable Head Bamboo Toothbrushes and Bamboo Toothbrush Holders from life UNpacked, Laundry Detergent Strips from Tru Earth, Coconut Lip Balm from Green Beaver, Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags from EarthRated, Sleepy Lotion and Sparkle Toothpaste Tablets from LUSH, Reusable Bamboo Utensil Kits from OLA Bamboo, Holy Crap Breakfast Cereal, Natural Shampoo from Carina Organics and Tealight Candles from Honey Candles! If you have any suggestions for sustainable/eco-friendly rewards, know of or own a business who would like to provide in-kind to our Green Team, please contact Ashton Kerr, Program Manager, at ashton@greenteamscanada.ca!
This activity was led by the Lower Mainland Green Team‘s Program Manager, Ashton Kerr, and Program Coordinators, Megan Walker (right) and Reenaz Nawar (left). Megan, a first year university student from Coquitlam, and Reenaz, a grade 11 student from Port Moody, have been hired as part of Green Teams of Canada‘s Youth Leadership Program. They are gaining hands-on experience organizing and leading communities, and are also helping strengthen and build our organization!
What Volunteers Said
“I feel the impact is very important, and can also teach younger children more about how much invasive species can impact the area we live in, and educating the younger with the correct knowledge is always important, and it also helps them understand that it’s hard to take care of the environment around us, but that’s why it’s just that much more important to properly care for our environment.”
– Kai
“I enjoyed the community and meeting new people; satisfying pulling the ivy and finding extra long ones!! I feel this program impacts the community, helping the environment directly, getting some exercise, teamwork!! “
– Jade
“I think it was really cool to see everyone working together, and apart from the amazing sense of accomplishment, this event was a great opportunity to socialise. It’s also fun to be in nature and visit new parts of the city! Green spaces are really important and I think this event really helped me grow closer to the community that I live in. As my geography teacher once said, acting local is the best way to work on global issues!”
– Colin
“I enjoyed to work with the green members. I got a new experience with the green team. It’s a good thing to do something for the environment.”
– Navdeep
“I just really enjoyed being out in nature and helping remove all the invasive species. It made me feel good that I was helping the plants and it was just nice to be out in the sunshine for the whole morning! I think the impact is just to help the wildlife and plants in our neighbourhood, to go outside and just to meet new people who share the same passion for the outdoors as you do.”
– Olivia
Thank You!
Thank you to Angela Crampton at the City of Port Moody for partnering with our charity, Green Teams of Canada, to make this activity possible!
Our organization has been working with City of Port Moody since 2013. Through this partnership we are fulfilling our common goals and are connecting connecting communities to each other and nature – a win for environmental and community health!
Want to remove more invasive plants in Port Moody? Volunteer with the City of Port Moody‘s Invasive Plant Removal Team! The next activity will take place on Sunday December 4th at Shoreline Park at Pigeon Cove from 9:30am-11:30am. CLICK HERE to sign up and learn more!
Before and After Photos
