Thank you to everyone who participated in this invasive blackberry removal !
Amelie, Anudeep, Brynn, David, Denise, Dennis, Dzenan, Fabian, Harveen, Jané, Joshua, Julia, Kiera, Kurtis, Mason, Michael, Miguel, Mihir, Naya, Nobu, Travis, Tristan and Yasi!
The day started out with light rain and then we had blue skies! We removed lots of invasive blackberry (mainly root crowns) from this salmon habitat
Impacts
- 23 community members were engaged
- 8 removed invasive plants for the first time
- Community members joined us from Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Vancouver, Burnaby, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Surrey and Mission!
- 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
- 65 hours were contributed towards restoring local habitat
- 3 cubic metres (18 bathtubs) of invasive Himalayan Blackberry was removed
Highlights
- We are grateful to Ken for enabling us to restore salmon habitat on his property
- We built on recent restoration efforts to revitalize this spawning channel by the Alouette River Management Society (ARMS) and Fisheries and Ocean Canada
- This activity was featured in the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News!
- Read the Nov 25, 2024 article HERE
- Or find it under the Media Coverage section of our website here
- We went around and asked everyone what their favourite deserts were and heard: chocolate, tiramisu, gulab jamun, ice-cream, all sorts of pies, creme brulee, chocolate chip cookies
- All ages, backgrounds, abilities & experience levels came out including families, retirees, first timers, & returning LMGTers!
- We enjoyed delicious snacks including Shiitake mushrooms, strawberries, bananas, carrots, home baked sugar cookies and granola bars
- Tristan and Harveen helped set out the refreshments
- A group of participants helped pack up the car, with Michael leading the charge!
What Community Members Said
Video of Mihir, talking about being happy to be in nature!
Video of Amelie, talking about how delicious blackberry is
Video of Brynn & Fabian, talking about enjoying helping the environment
Video of Tristan talking about removing invasive species & it being fun!
Community Investment Partner
Thank you to Alouette River Management Society (ARMS), Kristen and Greta!! for being a Community Investment Partner and making our work at Trethewey Channel in Maple Ridge possible. ARMS received funding for this work from Pacific Salmon Foundation, Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program and the Stewart Family Foundation
The Alouette River Management Society is dedicated to proactively protecting and improving the Alouette Watershed and surrounding areas by creating a healthy environment connecting parks, trail systems, public centers and waterways.
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!
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!
Lyda Salatian, our Founder and Executive Director led this activity with behind the scenes support from Ashton Kerr, the Lower Mainland Green Team’s Partnerships Manager.