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Invasive Blackberry Removal at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum, Langley

This activity was organized in partnership with the Township of Langley

Thank you to all of the community members who joined us!

Alex, Amelia, Amos, Arnab, Balian, Chris, Connor, Darcie, Cal, Daryl, Dean, Fern, Grace, Jasmeen, Julia, Kadonah, Libby, Lizette, Marley, Megan, Olga, Oliver, Paul, Rick, Seamus, Sienna, Taisup, Tarrah, Trevor, Victoria, William, Yuvan, Veyana, & Zetta!

CLICK HERE to see ALL PHOTOS

Community Impacts

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35 community members were engaged, contributing 105.5 hrs to environmental action!

  • 46% visited the Derek Doubleday Arboretum for the first time 
  • 23% removed invasive plants for the first time


32 participants completed a survey, and results showed:

  • 94% felt inspired to take future environmental action
  • 97% felt a sense of belonging & connection to others
  • 100% felt their well-being improved
    • 94% said time spent in nature contributed
    • 84% said meeting people contributed
    • 91% said helping the environment contributed
    • 91% said being physically active contributed
  • 94% increased their understanding of environmental issues
  • 91% learned new things (e.g. impacts of invasive species)
  • 97% developed new skills (e.g. teamwork & hands-on stewardship action)

Change starts with people. To have a lasting environmental impact, people need to feel connected, capable and empowered to take action.

Our activities are designed to increase:

  • Community resilience & social connection
  • Well-being through time in nature
  • Participation in climate & environmental action
  • Awareness of environmental issues
  • Connection to local places & natural areas
  • A culture of volunteerism & civic engagement
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Environmental Impacts

  • 7.5 cubic metres of invasive Himalayan blackberry were removed (2 packed truck loads equivalent to the volume of 47 bathtubs!)
  • 20lbs of litter was removed
  • 200 square metres of habitat were revitalized
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Highlights

  • Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from Langley itself, Surrey, White Rock, Coquitlam, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, Port Moody, & Port Coquitlam!
    • Environmental & social issues don’t have borders. By bringing together people from across the region, participants see others showing up to care for places beyond their own neighbourhoods. This reminds us that we share responsibility for the people & places around us, and that we’re all in this together.
  • We were joined by members of the Langley Central Rotary Club including Rick, Kedonah,  Alex, Veyana, & Marley!
  • Oliver brought his friends Yuvan & Taisup and has joined us at several activities now to contribute to their community! They’re doing an excellent job of representing Gleneagle Secondary School! Check out what they had to say about the activity below!
  • We saved several trees from being overgrown with Blackberry as well as Serviceberry (aka Saskatoonberry) plants!
  • We also found and removed trash from the bushes at this activity including a leaf blower, a hat, bottles & cans, two wooden poles, and a magnifying glass!
  • Many delicious snacks were enjoyed during our snack break, including fresh grapes & carrots, yogurty passionfruit gummies, a spicy fava bean mix, apples, brownies, caramel popcorn, sun-dried figs, craft pretzels, & more!
  • Special thank you to:

What Community Members Said

27 participants shared what this activity meant to them:

"These experiences are incredibly important to me. I am someone who recently moved to BC, and I know nobody here. These opportunities began as a chance for me to meet new people doing something I'm already familiar doing. During the several activities that I have done I have begin to meet new people. Today was a extra important day to me. Today was the the first time I truly felt like I knew people in this province, before the activity began I went around to several people and chatted with them catching up. During the activity I had many people to talk to. These ease of talking made it easier to talk to people who I wasn't as familiar with hopefully helping them enjoy the activity much more and wanting to come back to more of these to make a visible change in our local ecosystems. These activities are incredibly important to me both socially and ecologically."
ConnorLMGT Community Member
"[This activity means] a lot, as someone who has high social anxiety, this is great to meet new people with similar interests and who enjoy the same things. Also having opportunities to get out and make myself feel better is great for my mental health."
AmeliaLMGT Community Member
"This experience allowed me to meet and connect with new people, be physically active, and learn ways that I can remove invasive species myself. The facilitators encouragement made me feel great about the work that we all did."
ChrisLMGT Community Member
"I am a regular participant at Green Team events, and I am struck by the teamwork and camaraderie every time. The group starts out as mostly strangers, and a mere three hours later, it doesn't feel that way at all."
DarcieLMGT Community Member
"I felt a sense of fulfillment and purpose. I was able to learn about the environment and contribute positively by using my time, effort and knowledge to remove the invasive blackberry species. Moments like these that I get to give back, really make life more wholesome and put things into perspective. Thanks for the opportunity!"
KadonahLMGT Community Member
"I was in a new part of the Derek Doubleday Arboretum today! Passing by the other site where a larger group was working was very awe-inspiring. I heard other volunteers talking about how inclusive they felt the group was because people of any physical skill/ability level could contribute, and I was happy to know that I wasn't alone in feeling helpful. I think everyone who cares and puts in effort deserves to feel they are making a meaningful impact, and clearly this is happening here."
FernLMGT Community Member
"As someone new to this country and neighbourhood, this experience made me feel very alive and connected to nature. I had never done this type of work before, but it made me interested in being more active and involved in my community. Working together with others gave me a sense of belonging, and it was really nice to see people come together to make a positive difference."
VeyanaLMGT Community Member
"It was a great exercise in teamwork and it feels great to see what can be accomplished by a group of people with a common goal. These are the kinds of projects that build community. Just look at the "before" and "after" photos."
TrevorLMGT Community Member
"A lot! I got to know people surprisingly similar to me, and it was a lot of fun helping around. New things like this make my day longer and better!"
TaisupLMGT Community Member
"This experience was really fun and a great time to hang out with my friends while making a difference, and also being with like-minded people from other parts of the community."
OliverLMGT Community Member
"Bringing a diverse group of people together around a common goal is so important for building community, and this group does that so well!"
MeganLMGT Community Member
"Being connected to others and being actively involved in caring for the environment. This is what being human is - not time spent on the internet, not using AI, but being true stewards of the land."
LibbyLMGT Community Member
"It meant strengthening connections with people I care about. As well as forming a relationship with the environment around us."
DeanLMGT Community Member
"It was awesome to work as a team, interact with new people and help with a bigger environmental cause. Helps to get in physical activity!"
JasmeenLMGT Community Member
"I love seeing all the people willing to help and connect with each other. I feel proud of our community and myself."
VictoriaLMGT Community Member
"Great experience; building connections and working for a better cause."
YuvanLMGT Community Member
"It meant being outside and helping the environment in a noticeable and meaningful way."
WilliamLMGT Community Member
"Was a great time to spend outdoors and to help the environment."
SiennaLMGT Community Member
"It was honestly just a really fun time. Loved destroying stuff!"
SeamusLMGT Community Member
"A sense of community working towards a common goal."
RickLMGT Community Member
"Fun in the sun :)"
PaulLMGT Community Member
"I helps me grow and feel proud."
OlgaLMGT Community Member
"I enjoyed team building and helping the environment. It was important to learn about invasive species."
AlexLMGT Community Member
"[This activity meant] being useful to the society."
ArnabLMGT Community Member
"[This activity meant] getting out and making a difference."
BalianLMGT Community Member
"It meant being outside and helping the environment in a noticeable and meaningful way."
WilliamLMGT Community Member

Video of Oliver & Yuvan, speaking about having fun removing these plants while making a great community impact!

Video of Seamus, speaking about having a great time destroying invasive blackberry!

Video of Chris, speaking about getting active outdoors and learning about how he can remove invasive English ivy from a tree at home to save it too!

Video of Paul, speaking sharing this experience with like-minded community members!

Video of Megan, speaking about having a great time in nature making new friends & building community!

Video of Taisup, speaking about having fun while working their way through the blackberry and rescuing trees!

Video of Amelia, speaking about the impact these activities have on bringing her mood up being outdoors & connecting with new people!

Community Investment Partner

Delivered in partnership with the Township of Langley, our Community Investment Partner.

Green Teams of Canada and the Township of Langley are working together to achieve our shared environmental and community objectives.

The Township provides ecological direction, while we bring expertise in community engagement – mobilizing people to take meaningful environmental action and inspiring future stewardship.

This partnership includes financial investment from the Township to build connection, improve well-being, and create lasting environmental and community impact.

Special thanks to Township staff Tovery for her valued contributions in bringing this activity to life and to Braeden and Justin who joined us on-site today!

This was the 3rd of 8 activities we’re organizing together this year!

In-Kind Support

Thank you Lush for providing their bath bombs & soaps prioritizing fresh ingredients, minimal packaging & no animal testing as in-kind support for this activity!

When socially and environmentally conscious businesses provide in-kind rewards for our community members, it helps us encourage local and responsible consumption beyond our activities. 

Businesses can also further enable us to run high-quality, safe and impactful activities by providing gift cards, refreshments, tools, gloves, and other supplies.

If you’re interested in contributing in-kind or have ideas for potential partnerships, please contact Ashton Kerr.

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Staff Who Made This Activity Possible

Lyda, Max, & Ashton

Our dedicated staff are passionate about community engagement and environmental action. Their work includes extensive outreach, activity logistics, social media, reporting on impacts, partnership building and MUCH more!

This activity was run by Max Muehlen, our Lower Mainland Green Team’s Program Manager and Lyda Salatian, our Founder & Executive Director, with support from Ashton Kerr, the Acting Partnerships & Programs Director.

CLICK HERE to SIGN UP for upcoming activities!

We Are All In This TOGETHER! The Future Depends on Us

The Lower Mainland Green Team is a program of the charity Green Teams of Canada, engaging communities in hands-on environmental action since 2011.

We bring people together to improve well-being and inspire environmental stewardship. Through activities like invasive plant removal, native species planting, and litter clean-ups, participants take practical action and see the impact they can make.

What sets us apart is our focus on people. Our activities are inclusive and accessible to all ages, abilities and experience levels, especially those new to environmental action. Many join for the first time, deepen their understanding of environmental issues and leave feeling capable and motivated to take future action.

We also strengthen and support the broader stewardship network by working with governmental agencies, non-profits, land trusts, volunteer-led groups, schools, and businesses, bringing new people into existing efforts and expanding their reach. Many participants go on to deepen their involvement, take on leadership roles, or contribute to other initiatives.

We believe lasting environmental change starts with people. By creating meaningful opportunities for people to take part, we help build more connected, resilient communities.

We can all make a difference!

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