Invasive Blackberry Removal at Seaview Park, Port Moody

November 3, 2024

Thank you to everyone who participated in this community activity:

Aaron, Ali, Amanda, Ana, Andrew, Angelina, Ashley, Aylin, Brynn, Connie, Denise, Elena, Emma, Etsuko, Gary, Haleigh, Howard, Jack, Jake, James, Jan, Jeffrey, Jen, Joshua, Kuohuei Ansel, Kurtis, Laia, Laila, Layla, Lena, Melanie, Michael, Miguel, Natalia, Nobu, Pinjun, Rayyan, Rebecca, Rika, Runzhe, Sarah, Shanruo, Shayan, Sumomo, V, Walter and Yumi!

The rain stayed away for a fantastic fall day!

Impacts

47 community members were engaged
- 43 participants visited Seaview Park for the first time
- 28 participants removed invasive plants for the first time
Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Burnaby, Vancouver, North Vancouver, Surrey and Maple Ridge!
- 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
148.5 hours were contributed towards caring for this park
9.5 cubic metres (59 bathtubs) of invasive Himalayan blackberry was removed
- Any invasive English ivy, Cherry (English) laurel and English holly found was also removed
169 square metres of habitat was revitalized

Highlights

Our efforts built on work by the City of Port Moody to restore the area and create a new outdoor educational space for the public and nearby school to enjoy!
This activity was featured in the Tri-City News!
- Read the article published on Nov 5, 2024 HERE
- Or find it under the Media Coverage section of our website here
Lots of native Salmonberry bushes were rescued
All ages, backgrounds, abilities & experience levels came out including families, students, working professionals, retirees, first timers, & returning LMGTers
A big thank you to Sarah from the City of Port Moody, who not only helped set up this partnership activity, but provided on the ground support!
We had a competition for the biggest and longest blackberry roots removed, with winners taking home a reusable stainless steel water bottle!
- Congratulations to Ali who won the largest root, and Rika who won the longest root at 1.6m long!
We refuelled with yummy snacks during our break including homemade vegan brownies, hot chocolate, peanut butter pretzels, lemon biscotti, mandarin oranges, bananas, veggies with dip and more!
Many thanks to:
- Laia, Howard, James and Haleigh for arriving early and helping place our educational plant signage
- Michael for helping gather props for our instruction talk
- Jake for helping set up snacks, and Jan and Michael for helping pack them up
- Jan for leading packing up our vehicle, and everyone who helped out!
- Andrew, Gary and Jan for taking and sharing awesome photos with us! They can be found with all photos in our Flickr Album for this activity.
Everyone was so awesome and enthusiastic for this activity! We had nothing but smiles all day long 😄

What Community Members Said

"I enjoyed removing so much, working with a really nice person as a team, being surrounded by such awesome people, having the best brownies ever, getting the best workout ever, and feeling soooo gratified in so many ways. The impact is making the earth better.... and me better 😀"

"Leader Ashton was excellent. Weather was great. I liked the biggest root competition"

"I enjoyed removing the Himalayan blackberries with the new people I met during the cleanup. I also enjoyed learning more about this invasive species, and other similar berries. Such as salmon berries. I felt that I made a good impact toward the environment. I was surprised that there were that much invasive species surrounding the area."

"I enjoyed learning about plants and working with my family. I also liked the snacks! I am happy that I could help with environment and I feel proud"

"Everyone was so kind and helpful! It helped me connect to people and the work we did together was productive and impacted the area we worked on. I had a fun time, thank you!"

"I really enjoy this type of volunteering, I was glad to be able to find one during a time where I did not have school and was free. I think that this program impacts every living thing in the area. If nature is happy then so are we, it is important to have events such as this so people are able to get out there and make a change."

"I enjoyed being involved in a team, doing something positive for our community and environment, and having fun with my kids and new friends. This program is absolutely encouraging people and youth about our environment and importance of taking care of our native plants. It helps with finding friends and socializing."

"I liked how the instructions were clear and that I knew what I could do to help around the park. I think the impact of this program is that there would be more space in the park due to the volunteers that helped remove the blackberry plants."

"I liked helping out. This program slowed down the spreading of invasive plants and improved our environment. At the same time, it also taught many people about it."

Community Investment Partner

THANK YOU to the City of Port Moody for being our Community Investment Partner and providing the financial support and direction to make this 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.

Keep an eye on the City of Port Moody’s Volunteer Opportunities to join their Department of Environment and Parks for other invasive plant removal activities in Port Moody!

In-Kind Support

A big thank you to our in-kind supporters: Blume, Myni & Gathering Place for providing their health focused products to our community participants to take home. These businesses have wonderful, sustainable products that support more responsible consumer choices!

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, and litter clean-ups, 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 behavior 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 bring high-quality community activities to you. Partnership building, fundraising, outreach, social media, activity logistics, leading on-the-ground, reporting on impacts and more – they do it all!

Ashton Kerr, the Lower Mainland Green Team’s Partnerships Manager led this activity with behind-the-scenes support from Lyda Salatian, our Founder and Executive Director.