Thank you to everyone who participated in our World Rivers Day invasive plant removal:
Aldous, Amy, Anudeep, Anwar, Aruna, Brad, Dana, Danyel, Dave, Dianne, Dinesh, Eri, Gary, Gord, Hayden, Jade, Jamie, Jan, Jeonghui, Joshua, Kurtis, Lenita, Logan, Michael, Milad, Moe Mahmood, Morgan, Nobu, Reshma, Rika, Sam, Satyasheel, Sheldon, Shirley, Sogol, Sree, Susan, Tahereh, Tazz, Tina, Yumi & Zihao!
We gathered to celebrate World Rivers Day by building community and removing invasive plants to save baby maple trees!
With loppers and gloves, we formed quite the crew,
“Let’s save all the maples! We know what to do!”
We pulled and we dug, oh what fun it became,
As we wrestled the ivy and the blackberry’s claim.
With each little triumph, we nurtured the land,
On World Rivers Day, we made a stand!
Impacts
- 42 community members were engaged
- 29 participants visited Ron McLean Park for the first time
- 17 participants removed invasive plants for the first time
- 29 participants visited Ron McLean Park for the first time
- Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from Burnaby (17), New Westminster, Coquitlam, Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond 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
- 129 hours were contributed towards restoring local habitat
- 10 cubic metres (61 bathtubs) of invasive English ivy and Himalayan blackberry was removed
- 100+ baby maple trees were freed from invasive plants
- 438 square metres of habitat was revitalized
Highlights
- This was the 2nd of two World Rivers Day activities we were co-running with the City of Burnaby’s Planning Department
- We worked with the amazing Byrne Creek Streamkeepers, who brought wonderful educational materials for people to learn about the watershed and the work of their group! We look forward to continuing our work together.
- Special thank you to Joan for all of her work to help choose this site and organize this activity
- Our efforts focused on freeing baby maple trees that were being threatened by invasive plants
- In 2021, our team removed invasive plants from this area of the park with the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers. Since then, these maple trees have been able to seed and grow!
- It was rewarding to return to tackle any invasive plants that had regrown to give these native maple trees a fighting chance
- We flagged as many baby maple trees as we could when we uncovered them to ensure they weren’t stepped on
- Read about and see photos from past activities at Ron McLean Park that led to the growth of these maple trees:
- All ages, backgrounds, abilities & experience levels came out including families, students, working professionals, retirees, first timers, & returning LMGTers
- We refuelled with yummy snacks during our break including homemade ivy sugar cookies, dried shiitake mushrooms, mandarin oranges, salmon jerky, chocolate quinoa crisps and more!
- Special thank you to Anwar for arriving early to set up, and to Jan, Gary and Anwar who led the packing up of our tools and supplies
- Everyone was so kind, supportive and helpful! We had nothing but smiles all day long 😄
What Community Members Said
Community Investment Partner
THANK YOU to the City of Burnaby’s Planning Department (Mark & Hafsa!) for being a Community Investment Partner and providing the financial support and direction to make this activity, part of the City’s World Rivers Day Celebrations, possible!
Together we are achieving our common goals and creating connected, healthy and resilient communities engaged in environmental stewardship.
Collaborator
THANK YOU Joan, Gord, Yumi, David and Lori from the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers Society for sharing their time, passion and knowledge to work alongside us for this activity!
Byrne Creek Streamkeepers have been active for over 30 years. Their volunteers monitor the health of this urban stream and conduct streamkeeping activities. They lead educational tours for kids and adults, promote healthy watersheds at community events, and remove invasive plant species.
Join the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers Facebook Group to help care for the Byrne Creek watershed or learn more on their website.
This group is in need of people who are eager to lead and organize others! Get involved now to help them continue their important work.
In-kind Support
A big thank you to our in-kind supporters: Blume, Gathering Place & Myni for providing their health focused products to our community participants to take home. These businesses have wonderful, sustainable products that support more responsible consumer choices!
If you’re interested in contributing in-kind or have ideas for potential partnerships, please contact Ashton. Your support makes a difference!
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, and litter clean-ups, 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 behavior 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!
Staff Who Made This Activity Happen!
Ashton Kerr, the Lower Mainland Green Team (LMGT)’s Partnerships Manager led this activity with support from Jeanine Sinclair, our new LMGT Program Manager!