Thank you so much Lower Mainland Green Team participants for your hard work and enthusiasm:
Alexis, Angela, Anna, Brandon, Daniel, Devin, Diana, Don, Emily, Emma, Gary, Icy, Jake, Jan , Junya, Kathleen, Kathy, Kazusa, Kurtis, Lincoln, Penny, Peter, Polly, Qianying, Ray, Ryan, Sam, Sophie, Steven, and Tom!
We had a great time under the beautiful cedars of Hoffmann Park restoring habitat by removing invasive English Ivy as well as some English Holly, English Laurel, and Himalayan Blackberry!
Impacts
- 30 community members were engaged
- 14 participants visited Hoffmann Park for the first time
- 4 participants removed invasive plants for the first time
- 95.5 hours were contributed towards restoring local habitat
- 10.3 cubic metres (65 bathtubs!) of mostly invasive English Ivy was removed, but we also removed English Holly, English Laurel, and Himalayan Blackberry to let native plants thrive like the False Lily of the Valley that can now flourish!
- 250 square metres of habitat was revitalized!
- Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from Pitt Meadows itself, Langley, Maple Ridge, Richmond, Surrey, Burnaby, Port Coquitlam, & Vancouver!
- 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!
Highlights
- This was our first activity in Pitt Meadows for 2025!
- We built on our previous efforts at this park where we removed invasives and planted native species that are now flourishing! We’re proud to work with the City of Pitt Meadows to continue to steward it and revitalize more & more!
- Check out some photos & summaries from past activities here:
- Shoutout to Jan who helped setup for our snack break!
- Thanks to Don Maclean, a former city councillor & mayor who played a part in creating Hoffmann Park! He and his wife Diana came out today to continue their positive contributions to this special space.
- It was great to have Saphira out today from the City of Pitt Meadows who helped out & spoke about opportunities to connect with the new Grabenhorst Garden where a food forest will soon be planted!
- Thank you as well to Mike Manion & Mike Hayes, two city councillors who stopped by to appreciate our work and see the benefits of our partnership!
- A big welcome to our special guest, Sky! Our first feline participant!
- Thank you to the team of volunteers who stayed late to help pack up the site including Gary, Jan, Angie, and everyone else who helped!
Video of Don, talking about the history of the park and the impact of our work!
Video of Sam, talking about restoring his childhood park!
Community Investment Partner
THANK YOU to the City of Pitt Meadows for providing the financial support and direction to make this activity possible!
We’ve been grateful to continue working together to steward Hoffmann Park. Together we are achieving our common goals and creating connected, healthy and resilient communities engaged in environmental stewardship!
Find out more about our partnership with the City of Pitt Meadows from our presentation to Council in March!
Be sure to check out information about the new Grabenhorst Garden that is opening in Pitt Meadows this summer and how you can get involved there too!
In-Kind Support
A big thank you to our in-kind supporter: Green Beaver for providing their amazing 100% natural maple lip balm for community participants to take home. Green Beaver has great products working to help people access a natural and healthier lifestyle, while contributing to a more sustainable world!
If you’re interested in contributing in-kind or have ideas for potential partnerships, please contact Ashton Kerr. 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, 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 Possible
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!
Max Muehlen, our Lower Mainland Green Team’s Program Manager led this activity with support from Lyda Salatian, our Founder and Executive Director who works hard behind the scenes as a key part of making these activities happen!