Invasive Blackberry Removal at Colwood Creek Park

August 29, 2026

This activity was organized in partnership with the City of Colwood

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

Alex, Allison, Arleen, Bella, Braedan, Charles, Elsie, Grey, Isaac B., Isaac R., Jeff, Mason, Patrick, Piper, Rafael, Ray, Rowan, Sean, Shreena, Toby, Tristan, Vincent, Wayne

Community Impacts

23 community members were engaged, contributing 76.5 hrs to environmental action!

50% visited Colwood Creek Park for the first time
5% removed invasive plants for the first time

20 participants completed a survey, and results showed:

90% felt inspired to take future environmental action
100% felt a sense of belonging & connection to others
100% felt their well-being improved
- 100% said time spent in nature contributed
- 95% said being physically active contributed
- 90% said helping the environment contributed
- 80% said meeting other people contributed
- 80% said feeling pride in what they did contributed
95% increased their understanding of environmental issues
100% gained practical knowledge (e.g. impacts of invasive species, how they can personally make a difference, how environmental activities like this are planned and run, about Colwood Creek Park)
100% developed new skills (e.g. hands-on environmental skills, communication, teamwork & problem-solving)

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

18 cubic metres of invasive Himalayan Blackberry were removed (equivalent to the volume of 112 bathtubs!)
57 square metres of habitat were revitalized

Highlights

Community members joined us from across Greater Victoria including from including Colwood, Langford, Saanich, Oak Bay, 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!
Vince, Braedan & Tristan were so ready to tackle invasive blackberry, they even brought their own gloves!
Piper shared a lot of plant knowledge with us, including different ways to use and eat horsetail!
Alex & Shreena tried to break a wishbone shaped root! There was no winner, so we decided both wishes were meant to come true!
Allison & Braedan saved up a bunch of big roots they dug up for a photo together!
Many delicious snacks and refreshments were enjoyed during our well-earned break, including homemade vegan brownies, lemon biscotti, Jolly Rancher gummies, mandarin oranges, grape tomatoes, garlic pretzel twists, various types of granola bars, Bubly juice and more!
Special thank you to:
- Charles who arrived early and helped with set up
- Toby for helping set up a beautiful snack table and helping pre-pack up items
- Arleen for helping measure our invasive plant pile
- Grey for grabbing all of our plant signs after the activity
- Rowan for walking all across the park to grab our arrow signs
- Isaac B. for helping pack up final items
- 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

14 participants shared what this activity meant to them:

"It was so fun getting to be in the community making a real impact where I could see a real difference from beginning to end. It allowed me to feel like real change is possible on an individual level"

"Reclaiming spaces overrun with blackberry and returning it to the land, the community, and the native ecosystem is such an important and fulfilling action! I'm always grateful for the amazing work GVGT goes for the peninsula and everyone!"

"This experience allows everyone the chance to meet like minded people and make a difference, no matter how small. It's also great to be able to go outside and see the difference you create. :)"

"Building relationships with the community and learning about invasive species"

"This experience helped me feel connected with my community. Working together at a shared goal while chatting with people made for a friendly and comfortable environment. I got to learn about upcoming events as well, which I'll be sure to attend them."

"It meant a lot to be with a community that had the same goals as me."

"So important to get out and do something tangible"

"It meant a lot being able to help out in a little way that make a huge impact. Thanks for running this Ashton!"

"A fabulous opportunity to connect with others"

"It was a great experience helping my community!"

"Hard work but very satisfying"

"Connect with each other and finish my duty"

"I love plants!"

Video of Jeff speaking about being a daily park user and the spontaneous opportunity to join us to make his local park a bit nicer!

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.

In-Kind Support

Thank you to the following businesses for providing in-kind to support this activity:

LUSH for providing their bath bombs prioritizing fresh ingredients, minimal packaging & no animal testing!

When socially and environmentally conscious businesses provide in-kind rewards for our community members, it helps us encourage local and responsible consumption beyond our activities.

Businesses can also further enable us to run high-quality, safe and impactful activities by providing gift cards, refreshments, tools, gloves, and other supplies.

If you’re interested in contributing in-kind or have ideas for potential partnerships, please contact Ashton Kerr.

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.

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!