Invasive Ivy and Blackberry Removal at Ruth Johnson Park, White Rock

September 19, 2026

This activity was organized in partnership with the City of White Rock

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

Allen, Amos, Anne, Aureus, Barb, Brian, Chimdi, Delia, Dorothy, Gurpreet, Legolas, Lucas, Luffy, Mahmood, Nia, Jasper, Olga, Peter, Radha, Reece, Sean, Shantelle, and Victoria!

Community Impacts

23 community members were engaged, contributing 75 hrs to environmental action!

60% visited Ruth Johnson Park for the first time
26% removed invasive plants for the first time

17 participants completed a survey, and results showed:

94% felt inspired to take future environmental action
88% felt a sense of belonging & connection to others
88% felt their well-being improved
- 100% said time spent in nature contributed
- 88% said helping the environment contributed
- 82% said being physically active contributed
88% increased their understanding of environmental issues
100% learned new things about the impacts and management of invasive species and how to better care for the environment
94% developed new skills like teamwork & hands-on environmental skills

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

4.75 cubic metres of invasive Himalayan blackberry and English ivy were removed to prepare the area for planting (equivalent to the volume of 30 bathtubs!)
157 square metres of Ruth Johnson Park were revitalized and ready for new native trees and shrubs!

Highlights

Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from White Rock, South Surrey, Surrey, Richmond, New West, Langley, and the UBC Endowment Lands!
- 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 park users thanked us for our hard work, with many interested in joining future events!
Nia brought her son, Jasper, along for their first-ever invasive plant removal! It sure looks like they had a blast.
Mahmood, who joined us at our Cameron Elementary litter cleanup, took the bus all the way from Burnaby to join us in White Rock! We’re so grateful for your commitment, Mahmood.
Aureus, one of our superstar litter leaders, brought his friend Chimdi along to join the LMGT community and try out his first invasive plant removal!
Many delicious snacks were enjoyed during our snack break, including lemon biscotti, fresh fruits and veggies, organic juice, and pickle chips!

Special thank you to:
- Delia and Barb for helping to set up our snack break!
- Luffy, Lucas, Peter, Olga, Victoria, Mahmood, and Brian for being champions at finding all of the blackberry root crowns and getting after the long ivy vines!
- Shantelle, Amos, Aureus, and Chimdi for helping clean up the activity and all of our equipment!
- People of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and experience levels came out including families, students, working professionals, retirees, first timers, returning LMGTers and newcomers!
This invasive plan removal helped us prepare the site for planting more than 500 native trees and shrubs for TD Tree Days. Everyone’s hard work was essential for setting us up for success!

We’ve been working at Ruth Johnson Park since 2013! Check out past activities below:

What Community Members Said

15 participants shared what this activity meant to them:

"To me, this experience was about how we as a group can make a positive impact. All the little things we as individuals did during this invasive species removal amounted towards a big impact for preserving the native ecosystem and environment overall."

"This experience meant a lot to me because I was able to give back to my community and help the environment and better it with other people"

"I feel proud to step back and see the impact we made together. Makes all the hard work worth it :)"

"It is great to meet other people from the community and work together to ensure this beautiful park is around for future generations."

"This experience means a lot as it shows that many environmental issues can be tackled by people working together"

"It was really cool to be welcomed into a group of strangers who all wanted to do some volunteer work :)"

"Helping the environment, practicing interpersonal communication skills, belonging to a community, building self-confidence, feeling a sense of accomplishment"

"Wonderful to get out, meet new people, be active, help out the environment and it's fun!"

"It meant a lot to me because I had the chance to meet new people and do an activity I find fun."

"It gave me a chance to clear out an invasive plant and help out nature. It feels good to make a difference to the environment."

"Being a part of fun, engaging, and meaningful work!"

"Helping out when I can."

"Cool experience!"

"More care for nature"

Video of Shantelle speaking about the importance and impact of community-led environmental stewardship for our daily lives.

Video of Aureus and Chimdi speaking about how much they like giving back to their communities and exploring their interests in environmental work!

Video of Radha speaking about the impact of volunteering and coming back to help in a new part of Ruth Johnson Park

Video of Gurpreet, who just moved to White Rock from Texas, speaking about how much he likes getting outside and being a part of the LMGT community!

Community Investment Partner

Delivered in partnership with the City of White Rock, our Community Investment Partner.

Green Teams of Canada and the City of White Rock are working together to achieve our shared environmental and community objectives.

The City 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 City to build connection, improve well-being, and create lasting environmental and community impact.

Special thanks to City staff Andre, Spencer, and Ralph for their valued contributions in bringing this activity to life.

This was our 8th of 9 activities we’re organizing together this year.

In-Kind Support

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

Lush for providing their bath bombs & soaps prioritizing fresh ingredients, minimal packaging & no animal testing

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 Lyda Salatian, Green Teams of Canada’s Executive Director, with support from Paige Hunter, our Lower Mainland Green Team Program Manager.

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!