It was a big mistake, back in 1885, when a California grower thought it would be a good idea to plant Himalayan blackberries using imported seeds.
As it turned out, the fast-spreading berries, native to Armenia and Northern Iran, quickly became a problem, growing out of control and crowding out low-growing vegetation across the Pacific Northwest.
Designated as a regional containment/control species by the BC Provincial Priority Invasive Species List, the berries can create thickets so dense they can limit the movement of large animals, and can become a highly flammable "ladder fuel" for wildfires.
On Saturday July 27, 2024, Langley resident Leslie Ngo and 21 other volunteers did what they could to slow the spread of the invasive berries, pulling out six cubic metres of the plants (equivalent to 37 bathtubs) from Routely Park in WIlloughby.
It was all about "restoring our native ecosystems one event at a time, battling nature deficit disorder, bringing community together and raising awareness about environmental concerns regarding invasive vegetation," Ngo said.
Green Teams of Canada's Lower Mainland Green Team (LMGT) and the Township of Langley partnered up for the habitat restoration activity at Routley Park.
Participants included families, students, working professionals, retirees, returning LMGT members and first timers.
They also removed invasive Reed Canary Grass, a mix of European and Asian varieties native populations, creating a hybrid that E-Flora BC Alas of describes as "aggressive offspring,"
Anwar Al-Wesabi, a regular participant from Vancouver, was happy to spend two hours on public transit to get to the restoration.
"It was a remarkable team effort," Al-Wesabi said. "The difference we made was significant and noticeable. By the time we finished, smiles were on everyone’s faces."
It was the second such visit to Routely, following a June 10 work party by 73 local grade 3-5 students.
A third was planned, said Ashton Kerr, partnerships manager, with Lower Mainland Green Team, with volunteers returning to Routely Park at 19833 70 Ave on Saturday, Aug. 17 from 9:45 a.m. to 1p.m. for another crack at the invaders.
All ages, abilities and experience levels are welcome. Gloves, tools, snacks and educational instruction will be provided.
Those interested can register at https://www.meetup.com/the-lower-mainland-green-team/events/301855935/.
About 20 spots are still open.
"I think it really just shows that we're creating something that's so much bigger than ourselves," Kerr told the Langle Advance Times.
"That is how we're going to empower people to do more in their everyday lives and that's how we're going to be able to tackle challenges such as climate change,"Kerr continued.
"Creating healthy communities and taking care of the environment, it extends beyond municipal borders, extends beyond country borders and provincial borders."
More information can be found online at https://greenteamscanada.ca/locations/lower-mainland-green-team.
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