Invasive Broom & Blackberry Removal at Murray’s Pond Park, Colwood

September 12, 2026

This activity was organized thanks to sponsorship from PATH Developments

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

Adeloma, Allison, Andrew, Bella, Carmel, Charles, Chloe, Eugene, Grace, Hayoon, Hernan, Katie, Lino, Mark, Paipai, Ray, Ruri, Shawn, Sungmi, Sinu, Siyu & Tristan!

Community Impacts

22 community members were engaged, contributing 70 hrs to environmental action!

59% visited Murray’s Pond Park for the first time
23% removed invasive plants for the first time

16 participants completed a survey, and results showed:

100% felt inspired to take future environmental action
100% felt a sense of belonging & connection to others
100% felt their well-being improved
- 94% said helping the environment contributed
- 75% said meeting other people contributed
100% increased their understanding of environmental issues
100% gained practical knowledge (e.g. impacts of invasive species, how they can personally make a difference, how environmental activities like this are planned and run, about Colwood Creek Park)
100% developed new skills (e.g. hands-on environmental skills, communication, teamwork & problem-solving)

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

7 cubic metres of invasive Himalayan Blackberry and Scotch Broom were removed (equivalent to the volume of 43 bathtubs!)
150 square metres of habitat were revitalized

Highlights

Community members joined us from across Greater Victoria including from including Royal Bay, Colwood, Langford, Saanich, Esquimalt, Victoria and Saanichton
- 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 saw lots of European wall lizards, which are also an invasive species! Originating from a small zoo in the region, they were first released into the wild in 1967 and have spread like crazy since!
Lots of frogs were found too!
Many delicious snacks and refreshments were enjoyed during our well-earned break, including one bite brownies, yogurt bars, nutrigrain bars,bananas, grape tomatoes, various types of granola bars, juice and more!
Special thank you to:
- Carmel who helped put refreshments out
- Charles who bought us several irrigation spades to help with blackberry removal! arrived early and helped with set up
- EVERYONE for showing up to have an impact and pack up tools!
People of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and experience levels came out including students, working professionals, retirees, first timers and returning GVGTers!
We engaged students from Royal Bay Secondary School in an invasive plant removal the day before this activity! Read the summary HERE
We’ve been working at Murray’s Pond Park since 2019! Read about and see photos from other recent activities at this park:
We’re excited to being returning to this park multiple times this fall to engage local students and community members thanks to sponsorship from PATH Developments!

What Community Members Said

12 participants shared what this activity meant to them:

"Invasive plants can be beaten and all of takes is time and effort :)"

"This experience taught me the importance of protecting our environment. I learned small actions can make a real difference to our community."

"It was very pretty and nice and fun :)"

"I so appreciate these events. They give me a place to make real impact. I can do invasive species removal on my own but we achieve so much more as a group in such a short period of time."

"This experience meant Being able to contribute to a common cause."

"Felt like I made a small but meaningful impact."

"I always have so much fun joining green team events. It's a lot of fun to meet new people while also helping our environment! Also the snacks are so TASTY! The Costco fig bars are the best! :)"

"I've joined a new community and worked together with other people. I've learned the importance of helping the environment."

"It's good to participate in events that promote awareness. Also I'm happy to kick in for any invasive removal where someone else organized disposal."

"I feel involved with helping environment and connect with communities"

"This experience meant Responsibility"

"This experience taught me some skills in order to protect environments. Also this changed my environmental perspectives."

Sponsor

Thank you to PATH Developments for teaming up with our charity, Green Teams of Canada, to sponsor this activity to build connection, improve well-being, and create lasting environmental and community impact!

PATH Developments creates meaningful spaces that perform well, built on integrity, fairness and their network of loyal partners. With years of experience, we make intelligent choices for the future, prioritizing quality over shortcuts and adapting to what’s next for our communities.

This is PATH Developments’ 3rd year sponsoring our charity!

Through this sponsorship we have been able to host additional activities in the Royal Bay area of Colwood, increasing youth & community engagement, and improving the health of the greenspaces in Royal Bay!

Special thanks to PATH staff Bradley, Sean and Ashleigh for their valued contributions in bringing this activity to life.

In-Kind Support

Thank you to Bin There Dump That for helping make this activity possible!

They generously supplied a bin to hold all of the invasive Himalayan blackberry and Scotch broom removed by our volunteers and then took care of hauling it away.

With so much invasive plant material removed from the site, their support was essential!

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 Lyda Salatian, our Executive Director and Founder.

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

The Greater Victoria Green Team is a program of the charity Green Teams of Canada, engaging communities in hands-on environmental action since 2014.

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!