Thank you to everyone who participated in this invasive blackberry removal!
Albert, Alina, Amy, Anson, Anwar, Ashley, Bayan, Bettina, Christopher, Chuanhai, Cici, Curtis, Daniel, Destiny, Eden, Eva, Fangfei, Fattah, Gaoyu, Gary, Hazel, HongCheng, Hongyi, Jan, Jason L., Jason T., Joshua, Junya, Kara, Kayla, Kazuya, Kurtis, Kyle, Lena, Lennox, Lishan, Lucas, Melissa, Michael, Ming, Nick, Nuri, Olivia, Oscar, Romain, Samuel, Shiyue, Sophia, Taylor, Valeria, Vince, William, Xiaomeng, and Yilia!
We had a great day with a huge group of people working together in King George Park to remove invasive Himalayan Blackberry!
Impacts
- 56 community members were engaged!
- 44 participants visited King George Park for the first time
- 41 participants removed invasive plants for the first time
- 171 hours were contributed towards restoring local habitat
- 11.5 cubic metres (72 bathtubs!) of invasive Himalayan Blackberry was removed!
- 155 square metres of habitat was revitalized!
- Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from Richmond itself, Surrey, Burnaby, Vancouver, New Westminster, & Coquitlam!
- Our activities are designed to foster a sense of community that extends beyond municipal borders. By engaging community members from across the region, we are reminded that we are part of a larger, interconnected community and have a shared responsibility of creating a cleaner, healthier environment regardless of where we call home!
Highlights
- This was our first activity in King George Park! We were eager to begin tackling this new area and we’ll be back on Sept. 13th to continue our work!
- Our activity today built on the efforts of local steward Frank who has been working hard to remove blackberry and pick up litter in King George Park. Frank also helped prepare our worksite to make our time here even more effective and safe. He stopped in to share his thanks with all our volunteers for their efforts helping to improve King George Park for the community!
- All ages, backgrounds, abilities & experience levels came out including families, students, working professionals, lots of first timers, & some legendary returning LMGTers!
- We rescued several Pacific Dogwood trees in full bloom with BC’s provincial flower!
- A big thank you to Claudia, Nolan & Ann from the City of Richmond for working hard with us to make this activity happen!
- Another thanks to Nolan & Janny who came out to thank our volunteers in-person on behalf of the city.
- Thanks to Nuri who arrived early and jumped in to help us setup!
- Jan & Anwar did a great job setting up our snack table today!
- Thanks to Kurtis, Jan, & Gary for helping to pack up at the end of the day!
What Community Members Said
Video of Michael & Lennox, talking about the importance of learning about invasive plants & spreading awareness about how to remove them!
Video of Kazuya, talking about the great opportunity to connect with his local community & protecting nature!
Community Investment Partner
Thank you to the City of Richmond for being a Community Investment Partner and providing the financial support and direction to make this Earth Week activity possible.
Together we are creating opportunities for community members to come together, connect with each other and nature, and take care of the environment!
We will be back at this park on Sept 13th to continue our work in partnership with the City of Richmond thanks to funding received through their Environmental Enhancement Grant!
In-Kind Support
A big thank you to our in-kind supporters: Green Beaver for providing their amazing 100% natural maple lip balm for community participants to take home. Green Beaver has great products working to help people access a natural and healthier lifestyle, while contributing to a more sustainable world!
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, litter clean-ups and more, 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 behaviour 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!
GTC Staff Who Made This Activity Happen!
Our staff work hard to run high-quality community activities. Outreach, activity logistics, social media, reporting on impacts, partnership building and more – they do it all!
Max Muehlen, our Lower Mainland Green Team’s Program Manager led this activity with support from Ashton Kerr, the Lower Mainland Green Team’s Partnerships Manager who builds our relationship with communities like Richmond to make these activities happen!
Support Our Charity this Earth Month!
If you want to help us continue to organize opportunities like these, consider donating to our charity as part of our Earth Month campaign where we are trying to raise $5,000 in order to receive $5,000 in matching funds by Apr 30!