Thank you to the Semiahmoo Secondary Students who joined us from:
Ms. Ross’ Class: Lila, Adam, Eden, Selina, Nolan, Luke, Harleen, Nora, Yimo, Becky, Ken, Maddy, Jo, Bianca, Jodi, Katie, Kevin, Teresa, Xavier, Daphne, & Jacob
Thank you to the H.T. Thrift Elementary School students who joined us from:
Mr. Randhawa’s Class: Ashley, Thomas, Hannah, Abigail, Emma, Erwin, Tony, Amy, Jack, Nico, Sena, Lachlann, Neemah, Kaya, Rain, Olivia, Theo, Mia, Zerui, Allan, Frances, Samuel, Zoe, Raicy, Marlene, & Mars!
Mr. Sawatzky’s Class: Amy, Tiffany, Yibo, Calvin, Kian, Tom, Sawyer, Keldan, Luis, Ivan, Luisa Patrice, Max, Rio, Zahra, Japreet, Sadie, Jayden, Vincent, Mikhail, Eva, Christina, Jimmy, Samuelson, Alan & Denis!
We had a great time in the shade of this beautiful forest with one of the easiest invasives to remove, small balsam!
Impacts
- 72 students from H.T. Thrift Elementary School and Semiahmoo Secondary School were engaged!
- 16 students removed invasive plants for the first time
- 19 students visited Ruth Johnson Park for the first time
- 3 teachers (Ms. Ross, Mr. Randhawa, and Mr. Sawatzky) brought their classes.
- 3 parent chaperones helped out today!
- 126 hours were contributed towards revitalizing local habitat!
- 2.5 cubic metres of invasive Small Balsam and Herb Robert was removed (equivalent to the volume of 15 bathtubs!)
- 221 square metres of habitat revitalized
Highlights
- We have been working with the City to steward many different parts of the park for several years, these students are part of a great effort by our team and the city to help this ecosystem! Check out our blogs from other activities in this part of the park!
- Ms. Ross’ class participated to connect with nature & the land ahead of their final documentary assignments where students are focusing on native plants, native animals, and more!
- Students got lots of fresh air exercise at this fun outdoor education field trip!
- They also walked to and from H.T. Thrift and Semiahmoo Secondary to participate today, getting some extra exercise on the way!
- Students had a great time learning about invasive plants and removing Small Balsam, one of the easiest and most satisfying invasives to remove!
- This was the second time Mr. Randhawa and Mr. Sawatzky’s classes removed invasive plants this year!
- Students also learned to identify some native plants we were creating space for like Trailing Blackberry, and Alpine Enchanter’s Nightshade!
- Yummy snacks were enjoyed before heading back to school!
- Students spotted a ‘Wildlife Tree’, a dead tree left behind as great habitat for insects to make their home, an extremely valuable food source for our native woodpeckers looking for a tasty meal!
- Special thank you to:
- Justin & Spencer with the City of White Rock for their role in planning and supporting this activity!
- The Parent Volunteers who spent their time chaperoning these youth by getting their hands dirty alongside them and setting up snack!
- Ms. Ross, Mr. Randhawa, & Mr Sawatzky for their work to bring their classes out to this activity!
- All the teachers, students, and parent volunteers who came out with enthusiasm to help us revitalize this area!
Video of Maddy, talking about her experience removing Small Balsam and what she learned about invasive plants!
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.
We’ll be back in partnership with White Rock to build on these students’ efforts and remove more small balsam as a community activity this June 14th! We’d love for you to join us!
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 like Richmond to make these activities happen!