Thank you to everyone who participated in this invasive blackberry removal:
Abigail, Adrian, Airu, Anwar, Aryana, Bernice, Bettina, Bradley, Cade, Callie, Carollina, Chloe, Cindy, Claire, Coco, Daniela, Dickson, Eden, Ella, Ethan, Fiona, Gary, Gracie, Hanna, Hilary, Jan, Jeannie, Jillian, Jinhe, Jiwon, Joseph, Josh, Katie, Kurtis, Larissa, Lin, Logan, Melanie, Michael, Miguel, Natcha, Ocean, Princess, Queenie, Ray, Sami, Samuel, Selena, Silvia, Sofie, Vicky & Zeah!
We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful, sunny fall day to come together and make an impact at this local park!
Impacts
- 52 community members were engaged
- 21 participants visited Terra Nova Rural Park for the first time
- 38 participants removed invasive plants for the first time
- 21 participants visited Terra Nova Rural Park for the first time
- Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from Richmond (39), Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Surrey and Abbotsford!
- 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
- 169 hours were contributed towards restoring local habitat
- 11 cubic metres (69 bathtubs) of invasive Himalayan blackberry was removed
- 159 square metres of habitat was revitalized
Highlights
- Our efforts focused on keeping invasive blackberry out of a mini forest planted in 2023 and removing blackberry to help prepare for an upcoming TD Tree Days planting event!
- Our team has been working in different areas of Terra Nova Rural Park since 2021. Read summaries and see photos from our most recent activities at this park:
- All ages, backgrounds, abilities & experience levels came out including students, working professionals, retirees, families, first timers, & returning LMGTers
- We refuelled with yummy snacks during our break including homemade vegan brownies (recipe here), dried shiitake mushrooms, mandarin oranges, lemon biscotti, chocolate quinoa crisps, spicy dried fava beans, broccoli with dip and more
- Special thank you to:
- Cade, Anwar, Jan and Gary for their support and leadership in getting things set up and packed up
- Hilary, Carolina and many others who helped pair gloves before our activity started
- Adrian who helped set up our snacks beautifully and Michael for packing them up
- Everyone for their efforts to restore this local park!
- It was awesome to see everyone gain confidence in their blackberry removing skills as the day went on
- It was a beautiful day spent with wonderful people!
What Community Members Said
Community Investment Partner
THANK YOU to the City of Richmond for providing direction and funding through their Environmental Enhancement Grant for this activity!
Together we are creating opportunities for community members to come together, connect with each other and nature, and take care of the environment.
In-kind Support
A big thank you to our in-kind supporter, Blume, for providing their health focused latte blends to our community participants to take home. Blume is a wonderful women-owned and led Vancouver brand that supports 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!
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.