Invasive Blackberry Removal at Colwood Creek Park

October 25, 2026

This activity was organized in partnership with the City of Colwood

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

Ben, Camille, Charles, Chynna, Dana, Derry, Gabriel, Grey, Hiromi, Isaac, John, Lyla, Makayla, Milo, Nyleigh, Raven, Rebecca, Rosie, Sam, Tiana, Vicent, & Ximena

Community Impacts

22 community members were engaged, contributing 71 hrs to environmental action!

40% visited Colwood Creek Park for the first time
30% removed invasive plants for the first time

20 participants completed a survey, and results showed:

95% felt inspired to take future environmental action
95% felt a sense of belonging & connection to others
100% felt their well-being improved
- 100% said time spent in nature contributed
- 95% said meeting other people contributed
95% increased their understanding of environmental issues
100% gained practical knowledge (e.g. about invasive & native species, and how this work supports community well-being)
100% developed new skills (e.g. hands-on environmental skills, and communicating with others)

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

11.75 cubic metres of invasive Himalayan Blackberry were removed (equivalent to the volume of 73 bathtubs!)
35 square metres of habitat were revitalized

Highlights

Community members joined us from across Greater Victoria including from including Colwood, Langford, Esquimalt, Victoria, Oak Bay, Saanichton, Surrey, Burnaby, and Edmonton.
- 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, many cheered us on, while others commented they’ve noticed a huge positive change on the park!
We had a lovely visit from Cricket, the spaniel, and her puppy, with lots of positive comments about our work from their owner!
Gabriel joined us while on vacation on Vancouver Island all the way from Edmonton!
Lyla found a lady bug!
Camille shared wonderful energy with us all and even demonstrated some yoga poses!
Many delicious snacks and refreshments were enjoyed during our well-earned break, including homemade treats by Ashley, two bite brownies, oreo’s, fishy crackers, oranges, baby carrots, various types of granola bars, Bubly, juice and more!
Special thank you to:
- Isaac and Makayla for carrying so many tarps of invasive blackberry between our sites!
- The park user who brought us our sign at the end of the day!
- 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 meant a lot mentally, getting out of my comfort zone and trying something new. Makes me want to take initiative and get involved in the community more often :)"

"It was a nice way to start the day and a great reason to get outside. It doubled as a way to meet new people; all different ages and from different backgrounds, that I otherwise wouldn't have had a chance to meet. Overall, very glad I came and will be signing up for another in the future"

"It's honestly so rewarding to see what a team can achieve when working together. I am grateful that we can take care of the environment in a safe and friendly environment"

"It's good to do exercise and meeting new people and help environment."

"This experience helped me connect with people in my community in a meaningful way. I liked doing something that I could physically see a difference in."

"Always very satisfying experience working with a group of dedicated people having a positive effect on the environment."

"It meant a lot! I loved making a difference and meeting new kind people!"

"It was really nice to get out of the house and pull some invasives this morning. I had some really nice conversations with the other participants and had a great morning!!!"

"It's great seeing the cumulative effort we've put into the park. I love seeing the results every day I walk by."

"It meant a chance for me to help the area that I live in which was really cool"

"It felt good to make a visual impact on the environment and work together as a community."

"An extracurricular activity where I am part of a community that helps remove unnecessary problems from day to day lives of civilians."

"Always great connecting with my community and working towards a shared goal."

Video of Gabriel speaking about having fun removing invasive species, meeting new people, helping the community, making an impact, and the importance of getting organizations to work together.

Video of Sam speaking about being new to Victoria and getting involved in the community and having an impact on the environment!

Video of Milo speaking about his first time participating and learning about native and invasive plants!

Video of Ximena speaking about removing invasive blackberry as a team, being proud of herself, and helping the environment!

Video of Tiana, Chynna, and Raven speaking about making a difference, and meeting new people as University Students!

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 Chevy Alexander, and Ashley Bell, our Greater Victoria Program Managers.

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!