Invasive Blackberry Removal at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum, Langley

July 26, 2026

This activity was organized in partnership with the Township of Langley

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

Chris, Connor, Darcie, Cal, Dean, Kaly, Reece, Ryan R., Ryan W., Fern, Tarrah, Revor, & Xavier!

Community Impacts

13 community members were engaged, contributing 39.25hrs to environmental action!

12 participants completed a survey, and results showed:

82% felt inspired to take future environmental action
100% felt a sense of belonging & connection to others
100% felt their well-being improved
- 100% said time spent in nature contributed
- 73% felt pride in what they contributed
- 82% said helping the environment contributed
- 91% said being physically active contributed
91% increased their understanding of environmental issues
100% learned new things (e.g. impacts of invasive species)
82% 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

Environmental Impacts

4.5 cubic metres of invasive Himalayan blackberry were removed (equivalent to the volume of 1.5 truckloads or 34 bathtubs!)
200 square metres of habitat were revitalized

Highlights

Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from Langley itself, Surrey, South Surrey, White Rock, Port Coquitlam, and Chilliwack.
- 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.
Many who joined us were returning faces, having been a part of our last few activities at the Arboretum. They have built a special connection to this place and have made an amazing cumulative impact here!
We also found and removed some trash from the bushes at this activity including the nozzle of the leafblower we cleaned up last time!
We also found and learned about another invasive plant, Evergreen or Cutleaf Blackberry and removed it too. Learn about it here!
Many delicious snacks were enjoyed during our snack break, including fresh carrots, home-made vegan brownies, sun-dried figs, yogurt granola bars, & more!
Ryan & Ryan made a great team to tackle invasive blackberry together!
Special thank you to:
- Reece who donated leather gloves for us to use at future cleanups!
- Connor, Tarrah, Darcie, Cal, Ryan, & Fern for helping to pack up at the end of the activity!

People of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and experience levels came out including families, students, working professionals, retirees, first timers, returning LMGTers and newcomers!
We started working at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum in 2025! Check out past activities below:
- June 28, 2026 – Our last activity at the Arboretum! Many people joined us again today after having such a great time then!
- Oct. 5th, 2025 – With 75 bathtubs of blackberry removed!
- June 1st, 2025 – Our first-ever activity at the Arboretum!

What Community Members Said

6 participants shared what this activity meant to them:

"Today I noticed I definitely feel a lot more confident and assertive when it comes to taking initiative (i.e. overall needing less instruction/detail on actions to take when lending a hand) and coordinating teamwork. I've very strongly considered myself to be a "follower, not a leader," so these events having a tangible positive impact on my character, and my sense of being capable and comfortable taking charge in a group, is a huge deal to me!"

"This experience highlighted the importance of caring for the space around us and adapting and working with others."

"It was a great experience to continue making a difference at this site, despite the rain it was a good experience with fellow volunteers!"

"It was an opportunity to help out the environment and meet new people."

"What an amazing group to work with today! Lots of teamwork was happening organically, our (relatively, compared to the turnout in sunny weather) smaller team did an awe-inspiring amount of impact today!"

"It was fun to get out in the rain and remove invasive species!"

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 Cara & Justin who joined us on-site today!

This was the 4th of 8 activities we’re organizing together this year!

In-Kind Support

Thank you to the following businesses for providing in-kind to support this activity:

Lush for providing their bath bombs & soaps prioritizing fresh ingredients, minimal packaging & no animal testing!
Gathering Place for providing their fair-trade, organic spices sourced from sustainable farms in Canada where possible & other sustainable farms from around the world otherwise!

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.

Staff Who Made This Activity Possible

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, a Lower Mainland Green Team supporter with support from Ashton Kerr, the Acting Partnerships & Programs Director, and Lyda Salatian, our Founder & Executive Director,

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!