Thank you to everyone who participated in the invasive Himalayan Blackberry removal at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum!
Angela, Antoinette, Arianna, Cal, Chris, Daniel, Darcie, Dinara, Edward, Francis, Grace, Hyun Jung, Irene, Ivy, Jin, Jiwoo, Joung in, Julia, Kamran, Khemarin, Kurtis, Luaren, Leslie, Melissa, Mukul, Prabhjot, Rouhollah, Fern, Seang Ou, Kaylah, Stanley, Steven, Sue, & Wynn!
Sunshine set the tone for an incredible day! We had a blast removing Himalayan Blackberry at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum!
Read all about the story of the day below!
Impacts
- 35 community members were engaged!
- 20 participants visited the Derek Doubleday Arboretum for the first time
- 13 participants removed invasive plants for the first time
- 104 hours were contributed towards restoring the local habitat
- 12 cubic metres (75 bathtubs!) of invasive Himalayan Blackberry was removed, including a ton of blackberry root crowns that are so important in reducing regrowth!
- 250 square metres of habitat was revitalized!
- Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from Langley, Coquitlam, Surrey, Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, Port Moody, and Yellowknife!
- 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 second time working at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum, and we had a lovely time returning to the park and seeing familiar faces, here in Langley!
- Participants learned that the Arboretum also has a natural dyers garden, a birding garden, dedicated savannah sparrow nesting habitat, a learning farm, a food forest, and other amazing initiatives run by the Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS), the Arboretum & Botanical Society of Langley, and the Township of Langley! Many passerbyers commended our efforts as we tackled the project!
- All ages, backgrounds, abilities & experience levels came out, including families, students, working professionals, first timers, & returning LMGTers!
- We removed some massive blackberry root crowns and some very long blackberry canes!
- We saw not one, but two, friendly garter snakes at our event!
- Shoutout to Lauren & Grace for combating some stubborn roots in a tricky dance around a tree!
- Thank you to Prabhjot who arrived early and jumped right in to help us set up for the day!
- Thank you Darcie & Cal for helping clean up and pack up at the end of the activity!
- Participants also learned a bit about Policeman’s Helmet, another invasive plant that we removed a bit of today!
- A big thank you to Braden & Jude from the Township of Langley for their support on-site throughout the day!
- Shoutout to Gaurav, a local community member who saw we had a trash picker & bucket and did an impromptu cleanup of the Arboretum, picking up two full buckets of trash!
- Another shoutout to Francis who returned to join us while visiting from Yellowknife!
What Community Members Said
Video of Lauren and Grace talking about getting involved with positive eco-friendly projects in the community, meeting new people in nature, and getting some great snacks!
Video of Mukul talking about interacting with nature & community!
Community Investment Partner
Thank you to the Township of Langley for being a Community Investment Partner and providing the financial support and direction to make our work in Langley possible.
This was the eighth of NINE activities we are organizing in partnership with the Township this year!
This activity was a great success and together we made a significant impact on both the health and well-being of community members and the environment!
Township staff Braden & Jude helped ensure everyone had a great time and transported the invasive plants! Thank you all!
We’re so grateful for this partnership and excited for our BIGGEST YEAR YET!
In-Kind Support
A big thank you to our in-kind supporter!
Lush is an eco-friendly company that has been working to create more natural, sustainable products. They provided their fantastic shower gels & body conditioner made right here in Canada for our participants to take home as a reward for their hard work!
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, 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!