Earth Day Invasive Blackberry Removal at Terra Nova Rural Park, Richmond – April 22, 2023
Highlights From The Day
- 48 spectacular members of the community joined us and contributed 141 hours total!
- Thank you so much for your hard work and enthusiasm: Leanna and Wilco and their daughter Adriana, Charlotte and Parker and their son Jasper, Adrienne, Ami, Heather and Clinton and their sons Ryan F. and Evan, Daniel, Dion, Eden, Eva, Gabriel, Gary and Jan, Graeme, Emily, Harkaran, Rene, Helen, Jose, Jenny, Jiwon and Ray and their son Adrian, Jianping, Katharina and her son Ludwig, Kevin, Mike, Queenie, Renee C., Renee L., Riley, Sesame, Steven, Suzie, Troy, Polly and her sons Brandon, Devin and Ryan H., Sofie, and Sihan!
- All ages, backgrounds, and experience levels were engaged including families, returning Green Team volunteers, and first-timers!
- 12 people visited Terra Nova Rural Park for the first time
- 19 people removed invasive plants for the first time
- Many people joined us for our Richmond Earth Week activities at Terra Nova Rural Park in the past including:
- 18 people from April 15, 2023 at this same location: Charlotte, Parker, Jasper, Clinton, Ryan F., Eden, Mike, Kevin, Katharina, Ludwig, Jiwon, Ray, Adrian, Suzie, Polly, Brandon, Devin and Ryan H.
- 9 people from 2022: Adriana, Leanna, Jiwon, Ray, Adrian, Suzie, Kevin, Adrienne, and Renee L.! Click the following dates to see photos and read about these activities: April 17, 2022 and April 23, 2022
- 1 person from 2021: Suzie! Click the following dates to see photos and read about these activities: April 17, 2021 and April 24, 2021
- Thank you all for your dedication to our Green Team and Richmond Earth Week!
- Sesame, an international student living in Richmond, biked to this activity!
- Gary, Jan and Kevin helped squish down and move blackberry brambles so it would all fit in our bin!
- Our youngest volunteers, Ryan F., Evan, Ludwig, Brandon, Devin, Ryan H., Jasper and Adrian weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty and had an incredible impact. We love seeing all ages, especially youth, coming out to experience nature and try new things!
- Our Green Team brought together people from all over the Lower Mainland including Richmond (36), Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Tsawwassen!
- The rain stayed away for our amazing community who:
- Revitalized an area of 50 metres squared
- Removed a volume of 18 cubic metres (113 bathtubs full) of invasive Himalayan blackberry including many stubborn roots!
- Although Himalayan blackberry produces delicious berries humans and wildlife both enjoy, it’s an aggressive invasive plant that overtakes anything in its path. This limits biodiversity, habitat and food sources for wildlife in seasons when the plant is not fruiting. By removing this invasive plant we are creating space for native plants and trees to grow and better support all sorts of wildlife, including birds!
- It was such an empowering and impactful day! New friends were made, enthusiasm was strong and everyone was amazed at what we were accomplishing together as a community. Scroll down to see before and after photos, as well as some in-action shots!
- This activity was featured in the Richmond News multiple times!
- A few of our volunteers also heard mention of this activity on the radio station 103.5 Move!
- We weren’t the only ones celebrating Earth Day at the park, with the City of Richmond planting a mini forest and Urban Bounty offering awesome workshops including Backyard Composting 101, Build a Seed Ball, and Natural Inks from Vegetables!
- Thank you LUSH for providing Sleepy Lotion and Dirty/Sparkle Toothpaste Tablets to reward our amazing community!
- Our Community Investment Partner, the City of Richmond, provided direction and funding to make this Earth Week activity possible!
- This was the second activity we ran with the City for Richmond Earth Week, with the first one taking place at the exact same location last Saturday April 15th. Click here to read the summary of that activity!
Before & After Photos
Why Do We Do This Work?
The Lower Mainland Green Team organizes hands-on educational activities that have a positive environmental impact to empower people. Through activities such as invasive plant removals, plantings, litter cleanups and more, we are fostering connections with others and nature so that health and well-being is prioritized, lifelong environmental stewardship is promoted, and community members are enabled to take care of themselves, each other and the places they live. We all have the power to make a difference!
We all experience mental and physical health benefits from spending time in nature, including reduced stress and anxiety, and improved mood, focus, memory and more. While doing so, we can also have a positive impact on the environment as demonstrated through this activity!
Partner For This Activity
This Earth Day activity was run in celebration of Richmond Earth Week and was made possible thanks to financial support and direction from the City of Richmond.
Many amazing programs were offered by awesome local groups and the City of Richmond from April 15-23, 2023 in celebration of Richmond Earth Week. This includes another Lower Mainland Green Team activity at this same location that ran on Saturday April 15 from 9:45am-1pm, click here to read about and see photos!
Through partnership between our charity, Green Teams of Canada, and the City of Richmond we are engaging the community in fostering deeper connections to others and nature, leading to improved mental, physical, environmental, and community health!
What Volunteers Said
“Great experience I felt really impressed”
– Riley
“We will follow Ashton wherever she goes – we love these volunteering opportunities and we feel exactly the same way every time we join a group. The lower mainland green team allows community members (and not so close community members) join in activities that enhance the local area. Returning parks to the way they should be with less invasive plants hindering the native plant life. We love Ashton!!!!”
– Jan
We love soil organisms such as worms that help keep our ecosystems functioning!
In-Action Photos
Our Staff
This activity was led by the Lower Mainland Green Team‘s Program Manager Ashton Kerr.