Thank you to everyone who participated in the invasive Himalayan Blackberry removal at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum!
Angela, Balian, Cal, Carmen, Reno, Carter, Connor, Darcie, Dean, Dawn, Doug, Emily, Grace, Irene, Iris, Ivy, Jake, James, John, Leslie, Maria, Mukil, Fern, Tarrah, Wei Dong, William, & Xavier!
We had a great time in the rain removing Himalayan Blackberry to help protect the Derek Doubleday Arboretum!
Read all about the story of the day below!
Impacts
- 27 community members were engaged!
- 13 participants visited the Derek Doubleday Arboretum for the first time
- 8 participants removed invasive plants for the first time
- 83 hours were contributed towards restoring the local habitat
- 15 cubic metres (94 bathtubs!) of invasive Himalayan Blackberry was removed!
- 258 square metres of habitat was revitalized!
- 16 pounds of litter removed including plastic, dog waste bags, clothes, & more!
- Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from Langley itself, White Rock, Maple Ridge, Richmond, New Westminster, & Surrey!
- 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 third activity at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum, and we had a lovely time returning to the park and seeing familiar faces, here in Langley! Read about our previous activities here below:
- 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!
- Community members of all ages, backgrounds, abilities & experience levels came out, including families, students, working professionals, first timers, & returning LMGTers!
- We removed some big blackberry root crowns, the key to preventing regrowth here!
- Many community members walking through the Arboretum stopped to share their thanks for our hard work! Carmen & Reno even jumped in to participate!
- We saw four Great Blue Herons today at the beginning and end of the activity!
- Shoutout to Dean, Xavier, & Maria for teaming up to tackle some massive root crowns today!
- Thanks to Balian & William who arrived early and jumped in right away to clean up some litter along the trail and our target areas, picking up 16lbs of trash!
- A big thank you to Justin & Charn from the Township of Langley for their support on-site throughout the day!
- Thank you to Carter & Fern, who both stayed after the activity wrapped-up to help us finish packing up for the day, and everyone who helped bring everything back to our meeting spot at the end of the day!
What Community Members Said
Video of Irene talking about getting involved with her family at many activities over the last year, connecting with nature, & the impacts they have seen!
Video of Mukil talking how satisfying it was to tackle the blackberry and reconnect with nature!
Video of Justin, a Township of Langley staff member, speaking about how big an impact these activities have had
and the importance of this work spreading awareness!
Video of Dean highlighting how he learned about invasive plants and the root crowns we removed to prevent their regrowth!
Video of Ivy speaking about how enjoying & satisfying it was to remove the blackberry!
Sponsor
Thank you to Orion Construction for teaming up with our charity, Green Teams of Canada, to sponsor this activity.
Orion Construction is a Langley-based general contractor focused on building lasting relationships and making a positive impact in the communities where we live and work. Through their Orion Building Futures program, they’re proud to support initiatives that bring people together and contribute to a healthier, more sustainable future.
This will be Orion Construction’s 3rd year sponsoring our charity! See photos and read summaries of the Greater Victoria Green Team activities they sponsored in Apr 2025 and Nov 2024.
Direction & Support
Thank you to the Township of Langley for being a Community Investment Partner and providing direction and support for this activity!
We appreciated having Township staff Justin & Charn join us at this activity and dispose of the invasive plants we removed!
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!