Invasive Blackberry Removal at Colwood Creek Park

September 27, 2026

This activity was organized in partnership with the City of Colwood

Thank you to all of the community members who joined us!

Allison, Andrew, Ayva, Charles, Chloe, Grey, Hernan, Isaac, Josh, Kiran, Lauren, Mark, Nyah, Pat M., Pat S., Patrick, Porter, Pretty, Rafael, Rowan, Sean, Trev, Tyen, & Chris

Community Impacts

24 community members were engaged, contributing 78 hrs to environmental action!

20% visited Colwood Creek Park for the first time
25% removed invasive plants for the first time

23 participants completed a survey, and results showed:

91% felt inspired to take future environmental action
100% felt a sense of belonging & connection to others
100% felt their well-being improved
- 91% said time spent in nature contributed
- 91% said helping the environment contributed
91% increased their understanding of environmental issues
78% gained practical knowledge (e.g. How to care for the environment, and how this work supports community well-being)
83% developed new skills (e.g. hands-on environmental skills, and teamwork)

Change starts with people. To have a lasting environmental impact, people need to feel connected, capable and empowered to take action.

Our activities are designed to increase:

Community resilience & social connection
Well-being through time in nature
Participation in climate & environmental action
Awareness of environmental issues
Connection to local places & natural areas
A culture of volunteerism & civic engagement

Environmental Impacts

3.5 cubic metres of invasive Himalayan Blackberry were removed (equivalent to the volume of 22 bathtubs!)
50 square metres of habitat were revitalized

Highlights

Community members joined us from across Greater Victoria including from including Colwood, Langford, Metchosin, Esquimalt, Saanich, Victoria and Saanichton
- Environmental & social issues don’t have borders. By bringing together people from across the region, participants see others showing up to care for places beyond their own neighbourhoods. This reminds us that we share responsibility for the people & places around us, and that we’re all in this together.
Many passersby thanked us for our work in the park, with multiple even expressing interest in joining us the next time we’re at Colwood Creek Park and getting more information on how to do so!
We were so happy to have both Chris and Pat & Gracie spontaneously join us while on their walk through the park
Mark was so ready to tackle invasive blackberry roots, he even brought his own root spade!
Nyah found a lady bug!
It was such a nice day, Ashton brought out the spray bottle! It felt like summer!
Many delicious snacks and refreshments were enjoyed during our well-earned break, including mini donuts, pop corn, pineapple, harvest snap peas, various types of granola bars, Bubly, juice and more!
Special thank you to:
- Charles who arrived early and helped with set up!
- Patrick and Rowan for helping collect our signs after the activity!
- EVERYONE for showing up to have an impact and pack up tools!
People of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and experience levels came out including students, working professionals, retirees, first timers and returning GVGTers!
We’ve been working at Colwood Creek Park since 2014! Read about and see photos from other recent activities at this park:
We’re excited to being returning to this park multiple times this fall to help maintain areas we previously removed invasive blackberry from and planted in along the creek!

What Community Members Said

17 participants shared what this activity meant to them:

"It helped me understand this environment here more, and got me out of my comfort zone"

"I really enjoyed being outside and helping the environment. I love doing so and will again in the future."

"How important it is to return to places that have been worked on before. We did good!"

"feels good at working with teammate"

"Wonderful team leaders!"

"It meant I was a part of this community and have a responsibility both to try and help make it more attractive and to keep the trees and public spaces healthy ie free from invasive plants etc."

"It meant a lot working with a team that had the same goals as me."

"It was great to be back at the Colwood Creek Park to tackle another area infested with blackberry."

"This experience was really meaningful to me because I care deeply for animals and the environment."

"Very hard work, but satisfying to see the results of group effort."

"It means a lot as it is my first time volunteering and helping out the environment"

"This experience has been challenging and fun!"

"Meant a lot to help the environment"

"I have a farm back in India which my late daddy loved so much it brings me peace doing it here in whichever form I can"

"Wonderful team leaders!"

Video of Patrick speaking about his motivation for volunteering!

Video of Grey speaking about helping out so he can enjoy this local park and creek!

Community Investment Partner

Delivered in partnership with the City of Colwood, our Community Investment Partner.

Green Teams of Canada and the City of Colwood are working together to achieve our shared environmental and community objectives.

The City provides ecological direction, while we bring expertise in community engagement – mobilizing people to take meaningful environmental action and inspiring future stewardship.

This partnership includes financial investment from the City to build connection, improve well-being, and create lasting environmental and community impact.

Special thanks to City staff Graydon and Gord for their valued contributions in bringing this activity to life.

Staff Who Made This Activity Possible

Our dedicated staff are passionate about community engagement and environmental action. Their work includes extensive outreach, activity logistics, social media, reporting on impacts, partnership building and MUCH more!

This activity was run by Ashton Kerr, our Director of Partnerships & Programs, and Chevy Alexander, our Greater Victoria Program Manager.

We Are All In This TOGETHER! The Future Depends on Us

The Greater Victoria Green Team is a program of the charity Green Teams of Canada, engaging communities in hands-on environmental action since 2014.

We bring people together to improve well-being and inspire environmental stewardship. Through activities like invasive plant removal, native species planting, and litter clean-ups, participants take practical action and see the impact they can make.

What sets us apart is our focus on people. Our activities are inclusive and accessible to all ages, abilities and experience levels, especially those new to environmental action. Many join for the first time, deepen their understanding of environmental issues and leave feeling capable and motivated to take future action.

We also strengthen and support the broader stewardship network by working with governmental agencies, non-profits, land trusts, volunteer-led groups, schools, and businesses, bringing new people into existing efforts and expanding their reach. Many participants go on to deepen their involvement, take on leadership roles, or contribute to other initiatives.

We believe lasting environmental change starts with people. By creating meaningful opportunities for people to take part, we help build more connected, resilient communities.

We can all make a difference!