Thank you to everyone who participated in this community activity:
Adrienne, Alexandra, Anastasia, Angela, Athena, Caitlin, Cristian, Dorothy, Emily, Emma, Evan L., Evan Z., Evelyn, Gary, Ge, Jackson, Jan, Jane, Jordon, Junya, Katherine, Kathryn, KuoHuei, Lenita, Michelle, Oliver, Pat, Raisa, Raya, Rika, Ruiyi, Shanruo, Sheida, Teodora, & Yaw Adom!
The sun shone bright on us for our last activity of 2025!
We had a great time and ended the year strong with an amazing day of tackling invasive plants!
Read all about our day below!
Impacts
- 35 community members were engaged!
- 26 participants visited Seaview Park for the first time
- 20 participants removed invasive plants for the first time
- 26 participants visited Seaview Park for the first time
- 10 cubic metres (62 bathtubs worth!) of invasive Himalayan Blackberry, English Ivy, Cherry (English) Laurel and English Holly was removed!
- 108 hours were contributed towards caring for this park
- 295 square metres of habitat was revitalized!
- Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Burnaby, and White Rock!
- 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 last activity of 2025 and we had a great finish to our year!
- Our efforts built on work by the City of Port Moody to restore the area and steward an outdoor educational space for the public and nearby school to enjoy!
- This activity also built on our own work here last year in partnership with the City!
- Check out the blog from our last activity here on Nov. 4th, 2025!
- We had several returning community members who were excited to see the progress the city has made in this space, planting many native plants in the area we cleared last year!
- Acting Mayor Kyla Knowles joined us to welcome everyone and share her appreciation for all our hard work in building a stronger community and improving our environment! We were grateful for her support!
- We rescued many native Salmonberry bushes from the invasive Blackberry to help them thrive in this area! We also saved native Salal plants from invasive English Laurel!
- Participants learned the key differences between these plants to identify them and the best ways to remove the invasives instead!
- We met several community members passing by who were very happy to see this work being done in the park!
- We found a scooter (with a matching waterbottle), a frisbee, some cans, and other garbage in the woods we also cleaned-up!
- All ages, backgrounds, abilities & experience levels came out including families, students, working professionals, retirees, first timers, & returning LMGTers!
- Many members of the Eco Pawprints Club from Port Moody Secondary School joined us too!
- We refuelled with yummy snacks during our break including homemade vegan brownies, a fresh fruit platter, churro puffs, pretzel crisps, many flavours of granola bars, and more! Participants also loved the variety in juice boxes & sparkling water to drink!
- Many thanks to:
- Athena, Lenita, Jan, Gary, & others who helped pack up our tools & supplies at the end of the activity!
- Teodora for helping gather examples of the native & invasive plants for our instruction talk!
- We had an amazing group of volunteers making an amazing difference today! Thank you everyone for a fantastic end to our 2025 season!
What Community Members Said
Videos of participants talking about the impact of this activity:
Video of Sheida, Emily, & Emma speaking about having a fun time removing invasive plants and how easy it was to do!
Video of Raya talking about all she learned about how to help the planet while having so much fun inspiring her to join us again!
Video of Alex talking about the enjoyment he had making a great difference and pulling up the Ivy!
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.
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!
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
Thank you to Lush for providing their fantastic shower gels, body conditioner, bath bombs, with natural ingredients, sustainable packaging, and made in Canada! Our participants were really happy to take these gifts home!
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 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, and Simryn Dhensaw, our Lower Mainland Green Team Program Assistant, led this activity together!
Ashton Kerr, the Lower Mainland Green Team’s Partnerships Manager, supported this activity behind the scenes!