Earth Day Native Species Planting & Invasive Blackberry Removal at Hoffmann Park, Pitt Meadows

April 21, 2024

Thank you so much Lower Mainland Green Team community members for joining us to celebrate Earth Day:

Alison, Aliza, Alyssa, Amos, Anwar, Ayla, Catherine, Christina, Danielle, Dennis, Emily, Emma, Gary, Jake, Jamie, Jan, Jim, Kathleen, Kleon, Lena, Lucy, Marlowe, Megan, Naya, Nicky, Owen, Phil, Quinn, Sasan, Shin, & Tristan!

We had an awesome time celebrating Earth Day by planting HUNDREDS of native trees & shrubs, and supporting newly planted species by spreading mulch! We even started removing more invasive blackberry!

It was a lovely day to enjoy the fresh spring air and gather with new faces. Keep reading our impacts, highlights and more from the day…

Impacts

31 community members engaged
11 people visited this park for the first time
7 people planted for the first time
98 hours contributed to habitat restoration
278 native trees and shrubs were planted in areas previously covered in invasive plants!
3 cubic metres of mulch were moved to support newly planted species
1 cubic metre of invasive plants was removed (equivalent to the volume of 6 bathtubs!)
510 square metres of habitat revitalized

Highlights

This activity was in celebration of Earth Day and a continuation of our work on March 30th to restore this area of Hoffmann Park! Read about the invasive plant removal that laid the groundwork for today’s successful planting here.
This activity was featured in the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News!
- May 2, 2024 (or under the Media Coverage section of our website HERE)
We were joined by Pitt Meadows City Councillors Gwen O’Connell, Mike Hayes and Alison Evans
- Councillor Hayes thanked the community for joining in our introduction, and Councillor Evans brought along her son for this impactful day!
Community members were excited to see the difference after planting in an area once overtaken by invasive species and grateful to have a hand in the betterment of this park for all! See the before and after photos above!
Several locals and passersby shared their appreciation for our efforts & hard work, and were happy to see the City’s commitment to improving this lovely park for everyone’s enjoyment
Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland, including from Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Langley, Surrey, Port Moody, Abbotsford, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, North Vancouver and Vancouver
People of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels came out including families with little ones, returning LMGTers, and first timers!
Everyone enjoyed taking a break to share delicious snacks! Our homemade vegan brownies were a big hit
Special thank you to:
- Anwar for arriving early to help with set up
- Jake for helping to set up our snacks
- Naya, Kleon, Megan, Amos (and the many others!) who made it their mission to spread that mulch!
- Lena, Jamie, Jake, and Kathleen for tackling the invasive blackberry!
- Jan & Gary who led the take down of our supplies, and the many hands who helped to pack the car
- Each and every person who joined us for their passion, determination, and warm smiles throughout the day!

"I deeply appreciated the sense of community that I felt with the other volunteers as I got to know a few of them during the program. As locals passed by, I couldn't help but notice their appreciation for the project, and that alone made me feel even better about what I was doing. The opportunity allowed me to spend some time with nature, which I feel many, like myself, are deprived of. It also inspired me to reach out to do more activities like this one in the future."

"What a great way to spend a few hours. Thank you again Andrea. You take good care of your group. Thank you to the City of Pitt Meadows for initiating the Hoffmann Park remediation. I heard lots of positive comments from residents passing through."

"I had a fantastic experience participating in the tree planting event organized by Green Teams Canada. The number of volunteers was impressive, and the organization was top-notch. Everyone was incredibly engaged and the atmosphere was just wonderful. We all enjoyed the great weather and the delicious snacks provided. Green Teams Canada continues to amaze with their enjoyable activities."

"This program is the perfect opportunity for people to experience working in the dirt, especially if someone doesn't have the chance too (no yard/garden and no experience growing up doing it). It allows a safe place where you can learn what is needed to do, and then have a few hours to actually do it. The LMGT connects people to their community and to have a reason to go and explore others. Then they are part of bettering that place through the variety of activities the program offers (planting, cleaning, invasive removal, etc.)."

Community Investment Partner

THANK YOU to the City of Pitt Meadows for providing the financial support and direction to make this activity possible!

Together we are achieving our common goals and creating connected, healthy and resilient communities engaged in environmental stewardship.

In-Kind Support

Thank you to the fantastic local eco-friendly businesses, Honey Candles, LUSH and Green Beaver, that donated various in-kind products for our hard-working community members to take home!

Please contact LMGT Program Manager, Ashton Kerr, if you are interested in providing in-kind or have suggestions for businesses to contact.

Why 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!

Staff Who Made This Activity Possible

Lower Mainland Green Team Program Manager, Ashton Kerr, and Program Coordinator, Andrea Robles, work hard behind the scenes to bring these high-quality activities to you.

Partnership building, fundraising, outreach, social media, activity logistics, leading on-the-ground, reporting on impacts and more – they can do it all!

Our Founder and Executive Director, Lyda Salatian, has done an excellent job leading and laying the foundation for our organization to do what we do. She joined us for this Earth Day activity!