On October 27th the Lower Mainland Green Team with 39 volunteers rescued an area of Coquitlam River Park of invasive English Ivy and Periwinkle! Together we removed 25 cubic meters from the trees and surrounding area!
Thanks to everyone who participated: Jayden, Art, Albert, Aliya, Ashton, Grace, Brian G., Wen Chi, Yunwen, Doug, Duncan, Elaine, Brian J., Glenda, Jashandeep, Jasmine, Julia, Jessica, Karleen, Kento, Leah, Leonardo, Masa, Melissa, Mia, Mousa, Natasha, Neilan, Priscilla, Sarah, Sawyer, Sarah, Emaan, Silvana, Suzie, Theresa, Yi-Cheng, Will and Yoonha
Thank you:
- City of Coquitlam (Elise, Brad & Caresse) for working with our charity to make this wonderful community event happen
- Gleneagles Secondary TALONS
- Our amazing volunteer leaders: Ashton, Brian, Julia, and Suzie
- Those who helped set up and pack up
Volunteers at Coquitlam River Park!
For more photos please click HERE (more photos below!)
Highlights:
- 39 volunteers contributed 114 hours
- 27 volunteers had never been to Coquitlam River Park before
- 15 volunteers had never removed invasive plants before
- We removed 25 cubic meters of English Ivy and periwinkle from 250 square meters of park land!
- 20 trees were saved from the grips of ivy!
- Many volunteers used public transit and car sharing, thanks for reducing our ecological footprint!
- Two volunteers rode their bikes
- We found a salamander
- Volunteer received vegetable seeds from West Coast Seeds , bath oil bars from LUSH, and beeswax candles from Honey Candles
- Our volunteers joined us from Coquitlam, Port Moody, Burnaby, New Westminster, North Vancouver and Vancouver
What some of the volunteers said:
Organizing people to do something that can enhance the environment and also the interactive of people are smart choice. We can do two good things at the same time. – Yi-Cheng
The impact was bonding with other enthusiasts and giving back to a part of our community which is often overlooked – Leah
Native plants are much happier and area is cleaned up of invasive plants and garbage. A great sense of accomplishment in getting rid of invasive plants. The area we worked on looked so much different when we were done. Residents in the area were very pleased in what we accomplished. – Glenda
The impact of the program is growing community through sweat equity and beautifying our greenspaces 🙂 Also, allowing opportunities to share environmental knowledge in meaningful ways. Leader and co-leaders were excellent – great energy, organization and delivery of instructions (clear and very informative) – Melissa
By removing the English ivy, I had a chance to interact with the soil so closely and found some life below the ground. It was a physically demanding work but at the same time fun. I had a meaningful morning. – Yunwen
I enjoyed the environment and the feeling of accomplishments after. I learned something new and gave back to my community. The impact of this program is keeping our environment healthy. As time progresses on people start to neglect our environment and this program helps keep everything healthy to the best of their ability. It spreads awareness for being eco friendly and introduces simple solutions to people like me. – Elaine
It was well organized and the goal of the day was specific and achievable. I feel more engaged with the community and the environment. Also, the impact on native species is clear. I pulled English Ivy out that had wrapped itself around a tree which appeared to be withering because of it. – Jessica
I really enjoyed the time I spent helping the ecosystem balance again. – Wendy
The area we completed looked really clean of ivy by the end and the impact was noticeable. I had fun working with others to improve our community environment. – Sarah
I enjoyed having a chance to talk with others while being up and close to nature. – Masa
BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS
Volunteers in Action
