World Rivers Day Invasive Ivy Removal at Byrne Creek, Burnaby

September 20, 2026

This activity was organized in partnership with the City of Burnaby

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

Alex, Anna, Anthony, Breighton, Camilo, Chantelle, Cleo, Duoduo, Ethan C., Ethan H., Ethan K., Ethan W., Eva, Fellix, Freya, Gary, Giselle, Greyson, Hanbin, Hannah, Jan, Jasper, Jen, Jon, Jonathan, Juniper, Kaitlyn, Kensi, Kushal, Lily Jiali, Lingzi, Michael, Miya, Owen, Rachel, Remy, Rowan, Theo, Thomson, Trevor, Vilien, Waverly, Ye, Yian, Youlin & Yuchen

Community Impacts

47 community members were engaged, contributing 133 hrs to environmental action!

36% visited Byrne Creek for the first time
53% removed invasive plants for the first time

17 participants completed a survey, and results showed:

94% felt inspired to take future environmental action
100% felt a sense of belonging & connection to others
100% felt their well-being improved
- 88% said time spent in nature contributed
- 88% said helping the environment contributed
- 88% said being physically active contributed
- 82% said meeting people contributed
88% increased their understanding of environmental issues
88% learned new things (e.g. impacts of invasive species, about Byrne Creek, how this work supports community well-being, what they can do to make a difference)
100% developed new skills (e.g. teamwork, hands-on stewardship experience, communicating with others)

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

13 cubic metres of invasive English ivy and Cherry (English) laurel were removed (equivalent to the volume of 81 bathtubs!)
188 square metres of habitat were revitalized
15 lbs of litter were removed from the area

Highlights

Community members joined us from across the Lower Mainland including from Burnaby itself, Coquitlam, Surrey, and Maple Ridge!
- 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.
We had not one but TWO local Scouts groups join us and bring their enthusiasm to pulling out invasive English ivy. Thank you to the Burnaby 1st Southwest Scouts and the 76th Burnaby Scouts!
Ethan and Yian pulled out an entire English laurel, an invasive tree that can quickly take over forests.
John, a local Cub scout, knew all of the invasive species at our work site, and showed everyone how to identify them!
Gary went over our work site with an eye for detail, picking out ivy that had been left behind
Passersby thanked us for our hard work, especially the energetic younger volunteers!
Many delicious snacks were enjoyed during our snack break, including lemon biscotti, cheezies, fresh fruits and vegetables, and vegan brownies!
Special thank you to:
- Breighton and Jasper for helping to set up and take down the snack table during their first activity!
- Ethan, Juniper, Hanbin, and Thompson for helping to make cleanup a breeze!
- Jen and Jonathan for coordinating their Scout groups to join us!
- Gary for doing a diligent site sweet and grabbing all of our flags that marked out our work site!

People of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and experience levels came out including families, students, working professionals, first timers, and returning LMGTers!
This activity was a part of our World Rivers Day celebrations, which local resident Mark Angelo began in Burnaby in 1980 as BC Rivers Day. We are inspired by Angelo’s founding efforts, which led to the United Nations designating the fourth Sunday in September as World Rivers Day in 2005, a global day of recognition for the waterways that support all life on Earth.
We’ve been working with the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers since 2019! Check out past activities below:

What Community Members Said

13 participants shared what this activity meant to them:

"It meant a lot both in an information and community way. I learned alot about invasive plants and how to distinguish them, what kind of harm it brings and how we can help the environment. This could potentially change the world if everyone does it"

"This is an excellent experience that I learned more about the invasive plants. I developed deeper understanding of how teamwork can make a big effect. It is also interesting to meet different people but we shared the same goal for environmental protection. I enjoy the activity and I want to participate in more events like today."

"It meant quite a bit for me personally. This is the first community activity I'm doing after I arrived 2 days ago as a permanent resident in Canada, coming from Belgium. It really made me feel part of the community and as a sustainability manager it's always great to other people being enthusiastic about actions to help the environment. I would be more than happy to join future activities that are being organized. Thank you for the lovely morning. See you next time!"

"It was really great to feel I could be part of a caring community and to help create a new kinder community for the future"

"Getting to work in different locations that are supported by the city of Burnaby makes me feel good about my city. Burnaby really needs to continue with these wonderful initiatives."

"It was great doing something positive in my community and meeting new people that care as well"

"It means a lot today for our family. This is our first time and hope we will have chance to join again"

"It was great getting outside to help restore our local forest and clear out invasive plants."

"It meant a new beginning to me because it was my first event with Lower Mainland Green Team!"

"Physically involved in the community"

"Do something good for the trees"

Video of Kushal, speaking about coming out to these events and seeing the impact they make and being able to see the community and ecosystem thrive in the area he lives!

Video of Cleo, speaking about enjoying removing invasive plants

Video of Jen, speaking about the opportunity to give back to the community and how great this kind of experience is for Cubs to learn about the importance of taking care of the environment!

Community Investment Partner

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

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

The City provides 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 Hafsa for her valued contributions in bringing this activity to life.

Collaborator

THANK YOU to Joan and the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers for sharing their time, passion, and knowledge and working alongside us for this activity!

The Byrne Creek Streamkeepers have been active for 27 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 to help them continue their important work!

In-Kind Support

Thank you to the following businesses 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 Paige Hunter, our Lower Mainland Green Team’s Program Manager with support from Lyda Salatian, Green Teams of Canada’s Founder and Executive Director

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!