Thank you so much Lower Mainland Green Teamers for joining us for this activity:
Alexandra, Alexis, Armaan, Archer, Barb, Bowen, Brownie, Clinton,. Elaine, Evan, Fairy Wei, Haiyan, Hana, Heather R., Heather H., Emily, Irene, Ivy L., Ivy S., Kurtis, Leah, Lena, Mike, Peter, Hailee, Ryan, Fern, Shawn, Stray, Stephen, Tammy, & Veronica!
We spent the morning amongst the beautiful trees of Ruth Johnson Park connecting with community while
removing Small Balsam, an easy and satisfying invasive plant to tackle!
Keep reading for our impacts, highlights and more from the day…
Impacts
- 32 community members engaged!
- 15 people visited Ruth Johnson Park for the first time
- 5 people removed invasive plants for the first time
- 96.5 hours contributed to habitat restoration
- 3 cubic metres of invasive Small Balsam were removed (equivalent to the volume of 19 bathtubs!)
- 180 square metres of habitat revitalized!
Highlights
- We have been working with the City to steward many different parts of Ruth Johnson Park for several years, an amazing partnership to care for this park! Today, we also built on efforts earlier this week with students from H.T. Thrift Elementary and Semiahmoo Secondary to start this year’s work here! Check out our blogs from these other activities in this part of the park!
- The focus of our efforts today were on Small Balsam, a small but easy to remove invasive plant that spreads quickly and prevents new native plants from growing. We also removed some invasive Herb Robert, and English Ivy.
- Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland, including from White Rock, Surrey, Langley, Richmond, New Westminster, & Burnaby!
- People of all ages, backgrounds, abilities & experience levels came out including families, students, working professionals, retirees, first timers, & returning LMGTers.
- Hana, Archer, Stray, Leah, & Elaine were so keen to get started, they conquered a patch of Small Balsam by our meeting spot before we even officially started the activity! Check out the Before and the After!
- Evan & Ryan found some pretty cool bugs including this caterpillar that will turn into a Silver-spotted Tiger Moth, and this West Coast Laceweaver!
- Participants also learned to identify some native plants we were creating space for like Trailing Blackberry, and Alpine Enchanter’s Nightshade!
- We got to take a break and refuel with yummy snacks including fresh fruits & veggies, brownies, and more!
- Special thank you to:
- Fern, Barb, & Heather for helping to set up & pack up snack!
- Kurtis & Archer for bringing tarp load after tarp load of these invasive plants to our drop-off site!
- Heather, Kurtis, Barb, & Fern for helping pack up our van at the end!
- Everyone who joined us for their teamwork and enthusiasm throughout the day!
Community Investment Partner
THANK YOU to the City of White Rock for providing the financial support and direction to make this activity possible!
Together we are achieving our common goals and creating connected, healthy and resilient communities engaged in environmental stewardship.
Thank you Justin & Spencer with the City of White Rock for their role in supporting this activity!
We’ll be back in partnership with White Rock to run some community litter cleanups this summer and we’d love for you to join us!
In-Kind Support
A big thank you to our in-kind supporter!
Lush provided their fantastic shower gels & body conditioner with natural ingredients, sustainable packaging, and made in Canada! Our participants were really happy to take these gifts home!
Please contact LMGT Program Manager, Ashton Kerr, if you are interested in providing in-kind or have suggestions for businesses to contact.
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!
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 Ashton Kerr, the Lower Mainland Green Team’s Partnerships Manager who builds our relationship with communities to make these activities happen!