Highlights
- 51 people (35 local Langley students) participated and contributed 70 hours total
- Almost 5 cubic metres of invasive plants was removed (equivalent to the volume of about 30 bathtubs!) including Himalayan blackberry, English and Portuguese laurel and Morning glory
- 65 native shrubs and trees were planted including Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, Pacific dogwood, Salal, Salmonberry, Deer fern and Oregon grape
- 31 people visited Williams Park for the first time
- 26 people removed invasive plant species for the first time
- 8 people planted native shrubs and trees for the first time
- This activity was covered by the Langley Advance Times online and in the October 28, 2021 printed paper on page A21!
On Thursday October 21, 2021 the Lower Mainland Green Team partnered with the Township of Langley to remove invasive plants and plant native shrubs and trees at Williams Park.
35 students and 16 parents, teachers and education assistants were met with perfect weather as they came ready to restore this local park through the power of teamwork. 3 classes were engaged across 3 different sessions, including a grade 11/12 Environmental Science class from Brookswood Secondary and two classes of students with various abilities from R.E. Mountain Secondary.
Invasive plants of various sizes, including small laurel trees were tackled. Check out the size of one of the invasive trees taken out!
Portuguese and English laurel are commonly seen as hedges across the Lower Mainland, but if left unchecked this evergreen tree can outcompete and displace native understory plants in forests. This plant is spread by birds who eat the berries, so wherever birds are found you may be able to find this invasive species. For this reason, we always suggest planting native species in your yard whenever you can!
By learning about environmental issues such as those caused by invasive species in a hands-on way, the students are better equipped to tackle such problems. Additionally, the students were able to experience the benefits of being out in nature including improved mental and physical health and reduced stress levels. By connecting people to nature, especially youth, we see benefits for human and environmental health as those with more experiences in nature are more likely to protect it.
This activity followed the COVID-19 Safety Plan of our charity, Green Teams of Canada, and current province-wide restrictions with safety measures in place to ensure participants could connect with each other and nature safely.
Thank You!
Thank you to all of the hard-working and enthusiastic students who attended this activity: Franka, Chloe, Jada, Nina, Jakob, Nike, Haylie, Luisa, Jordan, Jessica, Sofia, Amy, Kirkland, Noah, Isaac, Keira, Karsen, Magnus, Lucas, Luka, Arland, Alex, Coltin, Sophia, Mackenzie, Shanelle, Jay, Shaan, Miguel, Chase and Kaleb!
Thank you to the teachers of the classes who joined us: Cynthia Wergeland, Jade McGregor and Matthew Suzuki! Thank you for coordinating everything on your end and demonstrating awesome enthusiasm and leadership to make this day a huge success!
Many thanks to Tovery, Darren, Olivia and Dan at the Township of Langley for joining us at this activity and sharing your expertise with students, preparing holes for planting, and being a blast to be around! Thanks to your hard work and mentorship, these students were able to try new things and build on existing skills with plenty of support.
A big thank you to Bob Scott and Eric Fong at the Township of Langley for partnering with us to make this activity possible. Thank you for investing in your community and environment by supporting our valuable work!
Before and After Photos
(click images to make them bigger)
