Youth Invasive Blackberry Removal at Meadows Edge Park, Langley

May 22, 2026

This activity was organized in partnership with the Township of Langley

Thank you to all of the students who joined us!

Amy, Greg, Keira, Nevin, Isabelle, Aydin, Sloane, Mimi, James, Thom, Desirae, Hayden, Ella, Sophie, Addison, Carlos, Beckett, Sophie Maksim, Faith, Malak, Joe, Grace, Ariana, Jash, Sofia, Jarod, Elena, Matias, Hawon, Stella, Teo, Austin, Riley, Olivia, Iris, Ethan, Lane, Taylor, Mila, Denis, James, Brady, Momo, Nikunj, Owen, Isla, Liam, Colin, Gavin, Luka, Tracy, Kylie, Breanna, Gabriela, AJ, Masa, Morgan, Kiera, Aurora, Avalee, Sloane, Maddison, Rodolfo, Makayla, & Ashwika!

Community Impacts

65 students and 1 school volunteer were engaged, contributing 113 hrs to environmental action!

Many students visited Meadows Edge Park and removed invasive plants for the first time!

20 participants completed a survey, and results showed:

85% felt inspired to take future environmental action
100% felt a sense of belonging & connection to others
95% felt their well-being improved
- 80% said time spent in nature contributed
- 80% said helping the environment contributed
- 60% said being physically active contributed
100% increased their understanding of environmental issues
100% learned new things (e.g. impacts of invasive species)
100% developed new skills (e.g. teamwork & hands-on stewardship action)

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

10 cubic metres of invasive Himalayan blackberry was removed (equivalent to the volume of 63 bathtubs!)
60 square metres of habitat were revitalized
10 lbs of litter were removed from the area

Highlights

Students joined us from Langley’s R.E. Mountain Secondary School’s PEAK experiential outdoor education program!
- The PEAK program is focused on bolstering student academics, personal growth, leadership skills, and a sense of belonging for all participants through collaborative learning experiences, both inside and outside the classroom. Students connect directly with their environment through place-based learning activities which enable them to integrate their learning into the wider world and to make personal and cross-curricular connections. We were excited to be a part of their learning experience today!
This hands-on, experiential approach educated students about invasive species but also instilled a sense of responsibility towards their local environment, showcased the power they have to make a difference, & created lasting memories!
Students worked together in teams to remove these plants!
We held a competition to see who could dig up the biggest root! One of our winners was part of our activity last year and won then too!
We saw eagles soaring overhead and heard them calling, learning what they sound like!
We also found a few worms we moved to safe spots in the woods!
We removed litter we came across in the woods including food jars & cans, wrappers, socks, plastic bottles & bags, and coat hangers!
Students spent the whole day outside! We had two sessions and when they weren’t removing blackberry, they were taking advantage of the great natural classroom to have English class in the park!
Students in this program had done hikes and other outdoor experiences but this was the first activity where they were getting their hands dirty to make a difference!
After their hard work, students enjoyed some fruity juice and healthy granola bars!
Special thank you to:
- Jennifer & other teachers of R.E. Mountain’s PEAK program for their role in organizing and supporting this activity!
- Olivia, Cara, & Chris from the Township of Langley who helped cleaning up all the plants we removed, encouraged the students, and with our setup & pack-up of the day!
- We’ve been working at Meadows Edge Park since 2023! Check out past activities below:

What Youth Said

22 participants shared what this activity meant to them:

"This experience meant taking initiative and action for our community and our environment and being together as an community"

"This experience taught me about the impacts of invasive species, and I also enjoyed working with my friends to accomplish something that I would be proud about."

"It meant a lot to go outside and help the community I live in and know that I did something good that I can feel proud of."

"It was a lot more fun than I had anticipated and I had a very good time with my classmates helping out community."

"This experience meant that I could've worked with my friends and helped the environment and I'm very happy I did it. I had a great time."

"I thought it was going to be a lot of work but it ended up being so much fun!"

"It meant that I did good for the community and the land."

"It was mind opening about environmental issues today."

"It meant being able to help the environment as a school"

"This experience means to me that I'm helping the environment."

"It was really nice to do with friends and really liked it!"

"It meant a lot, I had a ton of fun."

"It meant a lot to remove invasive species."

"It was very fun! Thanks!!!"

"[This experience meant] to help the community."

Video of Owen, speaking about enjoying getting his hands dirty and coming together to tackle invasive plants!

Video of Mila, speaking about clearing everything out and all the progress they made!

Video of Joe, Carlos, & Nikunj, speaking about having a lot of fun removing the blackberry, big roots, and being responsible for the environment!

Community Investment Partner

Delivered in partnership with the Township of Langley, our Community Investment Partner.

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

The Township provides ecological 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 Township to build connection, improve well-being, and create lasting environmental and community impact.

Special thanks to Township staff Tovery, Olivia, Cara & Chris for their valued contributions in bringing this activity to life.

This was the FIRST of 8 activities we’re organizing together this year!

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 Max Muehlen, our Lower Mainland Green Team’s Program Manager with support from Ashton Kerr, the Acting Partnerships & Programs 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!