One Maple Ridge park now has a ton of brand new local plants thanks to the weekend activity put on by the Lower Mainland Green Team.
This Oct. 15 event was an opportunity for local volunteers to help remove invasive blackberry shrubs, which had overtaken much of Reg Franklin Park.
A total of 48 community members joined the Lower Mainland Green Team and the Alouette River Management Society to successfully remove 30.5 cubic metres of Himalayan blackberry plants, which Lower Mainland Green Team program coordinator Megan Walker explained is how much could be held in 190 bathtubs.
READ MORE: Community group invades Maple Ridge park to remove invasive plant species
To replace the invasive plants, the group planted 50 native shrubs throughout the park.
Walker said she was not only happy with the turnout, but was also glad to see such a diversity in the types of people who volunteered.
“Out of the 48 volunteers at the activity, 41 were introduced to Reg Franklin Park through this activity, 24 removed invasive plants for the first time, and 20 planted for the first time,” said Walker.
Ashton Kerr, program manager for Lower Mainland Green Team, said that events like these are necessary now more than ever.
“Environmental and human health depends on our connection to community and nature and community engagement is critical to foster these connections,” said Kerr. “The COVID-19 pandemic has helped us realize the importance of human connection and the benefits of spending time in nature for our mental and physical health.”
For those interested in participating in similar community cleanup events, the Lower Mainland Green Team will be hosting an identical invasive species removal activity at Reg Franklin Park on Sunday, Nov. 5. More information is available by visiting https://www.meetup.com/the-lower-mainland-green-team/events/.
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