Thank you so much to the Lower Mainland Green Teamers that joined us for this activity!
Anegus, Angela, Brendan, Chamara, Daniel, Darcie, Cal, Dinara, Elliott, Emma, Esther, Gary, Haoran, Ivy, James, Jan, Jennifer, Julia, Kirk, Kurtis, Lena, Leslie, Lin, Prabhjot, Fern, Tarrah, & Xiaohua!
Our community volunteers had a great time learning about invasive plants while getting hands-on to remove them on this beautiful sunny day!
Read more about out Highlights & Impacts below!
Impacts
- 32 Community Members were engaged!
- 8 participants removed invasive plants for the first time
- 18 participants visited James Anderson Park for the first time
- 103 hours were contributed towards restoring local habitat!
- 6.3 cubic metres (29 bathtubs!) of invasive Himalayan Blackberry & English Ivy was removed!
- 205 square metres of habitat revitalized!
Highlights
- Our participants have been an on-going part of the stewardship of James Anderson Park! Check out some of our other activities here below!
- For the first time we also expanded across the street to the nearby Willoughby Trail to remove blackberry there!
- Participants learned a lot about English Ivy & Himalayan Blackberry and saw the negative impacts these plants can have on the environment!
- Participants learned the difference between these invasives and important native plants like Trailing Blackberry, Salmonberry, & Thimbleberry also on-site!
- We appreciated sharing knowledge with Angela who taught us about wood sorrel that tastied like candy and looked like hearts as well as broadleaf plantain that can be used as an anti-itch salve!
- Local residents passing commented on how James Anderson Park has been improving over the past several years with less & less invasive plants!
- After their hard work, everyone enjoyed some tasty snacks including fresh watermelon, carrots & hummus, brownies, cinnamon bun bites, and zesty dill pickle pretzels!
- Shoutout to Lena & Fern who both helped to set-up and take down snack today!
We were excited to be Chamara’s first community activity, something he’d been hoping to participate in for some time! He even showed up early and helped our setup, thank you Chamara! See you again soon! - Thanks to Ivy who brought her family visiting from out-of-country to participate in our activity as a must-do fun part of their trip!
- Thank you to our community volunteers, all of whom helped to pack up our tools & supplies at the end of the activity!
- Community members joined us from Langley itself, Surrey, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, and White Rock!
What Participants Said
Videos of participants talking about the impact of this activity:
Community Investment Partner
We sincerely thank the Township of Langley for being a Community Investment Partner and providing the financial support and direction to make our work in Langley possible!
BIG thank you to Tovery for her role in helping to organize this activity and to Charn and Braden for being a huge help working alongside us on-site!
This was the sixth of NINE activities we are organizing in partnership with the Township this year! Together we are creating opportunities for community members to come together, connect with each other and nature, and take care of the environment.
In-Kind Support
A big thank you to our in-kind supporters!
Lush provided their fantastic shower gels, body conditioner, bath bombs, with natural ingredients, sustainable packaging, and made in Canada! Our participants were really happy to take these gifts home!
If you’re interested in contributing in-kind or have ideas for potential partnerships, please contact Ashton Kerr. Your support makes a difference!
Why We Do This Work
The Lower Mainland Green Team is a program of the charity Green Teams of Canada.
We believe in the transformative power of hands-on environmental activities to empower individuals and strengthen communities.
Through initiatives like invasive plant removals, tree plantings, and litter clean-ups, we not only foster connections among participants but also deepen their relationship with nature. Spending time outdoors has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety while enhancing mood, focus, and overall mental and physical health.
Our activities are designed to be inclusive, welcoming individuals of all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and skill levels.
What sets us apart is we attract a wide mix of young community members who may not otherwise spend time outside, igniting their passion for nature and environmental care.
We are committed to instilling an environmental ethic that leads to lasting behavior change. We aim to create a sense of belonging and connection to place, encouraging participants to recognize their ability to make a meaningful impact.
Together, we can all make a difference. Join us as we build a brighter, greener future for everyone!
Staff Who Made This Activity Happen!
Our staff work hard to create high-quality activities. Partnership building, fundraising, outreach, social media, activity logistics, leading on-the-ground, reporting on impacts and more – they do it all!
Max Muehlen, our Lower Mainland Green Team Program Manager, and Heather Rawling, our new Greater Victoria Green Team Program Manager, led this activity with support from Lyda Salatian, our Founder and Executive Director who works hard behind the scenes as a key part of making these activities happen!