Youth Invasive Broom & Blackberry Removal at Murray’s Pond Park, Colwood

September 11, 2026

This activity was organized thanks to sponsorship by PATH Developments

Thank you to all of the Royal Bay Secondary Students who joined us!

Aaradhya, Aaradhya, Alex B, Alex, Alayna, Amelia, Ann, Annika, Arianna, Arlo, Arlo, Ash, Brooklyn, Chloe, Claire, Claira, Colette, Connor, Cosette, Danica, Denis, Denis, Elizabeth, Emiliia, Emerson, Emrys, Finlay, Genevieve, Georgia, Grady, Grayson, Hunter, Isabella, Jack, Jaron, Jason, Jayden, Jocelyn, Jonas, Kaelen, Kayla, Keira, Leyla, Liam, Libby, Lillan, Macey, Marietta, Mark, Mia, Miranda, Mykah, Olive, Olivia, Opale, Piper, Preston, Quinn, Saama, Sadie, Sandro, Selma, Siddharth, Sophia, Stella, Storm, Temperance, Vitu, Will, Xavier, Xavier B, Yuda & Zoey

Youth Impacts

64 youth were engaged, contributing 64 hrs to environmental action!

53 youth completed a survey, and results showed:

81% gained practical knowledge (e.g. about invasive & native species, why removing invasive plants is important and how they can personally make a difference )

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

7 cubic metres of invasive Himalayan Blackberry and Scotch Broom were removed (equivalent to the volume of 43 bathtubs!)
150 square metres of habitat were revitalized

Highlights

We engaged 3 different classes from Royal Bay Secondary School in this hands-on environmental education activity behind their school
Special thanks to Ashleigh Allen for coordinating all of her classes to participate in this activity!
Our experiential activities support key BC curriculum competencies and learning outcomes, including:
- Core Competencies: Communication, Thinking, Personal & Social
- Career Education: Community involvement, volunteerism, leadership
- Physical & Health Education: Outdoor activity, well-being, & connection to nature
- Science: Human impact on ecosystems, biodiversity
- Social Studies: Civic responsibility & engagement with community initiatives
- … & many more!
We’ve been working at Murray’s Pond Park since 2019! Read about and see photos from other recent activities at this park:
We’re excited to being returning to this park multiple times this fall to engage local students and community members thanks to sponsorship from PATH Developments!

What Youth Said

23 participants shared what this activity meant to them:

"This experience meant Helping the environment"

"I felt like I can have an impact on the environment"

"I mean I'm usually really scared about the environment so this made me feel a bit better"

"It was fun"

"It meant that I could help the environment and do as much as I could"

"It was nice to do something for the environment"

"This experience helped me realize that I can immediately make an impact on my environment for the better"

"very cool"

"I don't know, it was fun and i enjoyed it"

"It meant making a difference in our community, one step at a time. Every bit matters"

"I enjoyed destroying the plants."

"It was interesting to learn about the impact invasive species can have on the environment"

"It helped me understand how to remove plants and why it's important to"

"I liked helping remove invasive plants to help stop the spread."

"That the earth needs to be better cared for. If we want to live healthy lives we have to start with where our home is"

"I enjoyed the hand on experience I believe it was much better than sitting and learning about it."

"It was good to go outside even if I didn't want to"

"It was nice doing something to give back to the community"

"It was a fun activity to do with my class"

"It was cool to see how a team can work together to achieve a goal."

"To me It meant fighting to help the planet and our future"

"This was a great experience getting into nature, learning new things, and applying hard work skills to do something positive for our environment"

"It help me be part of a community and help our planet by picking the invasive species"

Video of Opale speaking about cutting blackberry bushes and liking being out in nature

Video of Kaelen speaking about importance of getting outside, get some sun & improve our planet

Video of Quinn speaking about this is helping the environment!

Sponsor

Thank you to PATH Developments for teaming up with our charity, Green Teams of Canada, to sponsor this activity to build connection, improve well-being, and create lasting environmental and community impact!

PATH Developments creates meaningful spaces that perform well, built on integrity, fairness and their network of loyal partners. With years of experience, we make intelligent choices for the future, prioritizing quality over shortcuts and adapting to what’s next for our communities.

This is PATH Developments’ 3rd year sponsoring our charity!

Through this sponsorship we have been able to host additional activities in the Royal Bay area of Colwood, increasing youth & community engagement, and improving the health of the greenspaces in Royal Bay!

Special thanks to PATH staff Bradley, Sean and Ashleigh for their valued contributions in bringing this activity to life.

In-Kind Support

Thank you to Bin There Dump That for helping to make this activity possible!

They generously supplied a bin to hold all of the invasive Himalayan blackberry and Scotch broom removed by our volunteers and then took care of hauling it away.

With so much invasive plant material removed from the site, their support was essential!

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 Lyda Salatian, our Executive Director and Founder.

We Are All In This TOGETHER! The Future Depends on Us

The Greater Victoria Green Team is a program of the charity Green Teams of Canada, engaging communities in hands-on environmental action since 2014.

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!