In 2024, we wanted to give back and support local Indigenous youth, so we decided to launch a Fern Fundraiser in support of the Urban Native Youth Association. We partnered with Coast Salish artist, Andrea Fritz, to design t-shirts and bags. We then had them… Read More »In Support of Indigenous Youth
Dec 15, 2024, was our 4th annual Light up the Night in Champlain Heights festival! The day before our event there was an extreme windstorm, which brought down many branches and several trees along the trail. Luckily, we had the help of several Free the… Read More »Light up the Night in Champlain Heights
In partnership with the Everett Crowley Park Committee (ECPC), we were honoured to be able to host 2 lantern making workshops at the Champlain Heights Community Centre on Sunday, Dec 8, 2024. Globe Lantern Worskhop At 10am-12pm, we began with a Globe Lantern Worskhop. It… Read More »Lantern Workshops – Dec 8, 2024
Despite the rainy drizzle, we had a very successful monthly invasive pull today! 18 volunteers gathered at the Douglas Fir Teaching Garden (just east of 3530 Swansacre), 7 of whom were joining for the very first time. Grace Nombrado, Executive Director of Free the Fern,… Read More »Pulling Periwinkle and more! – Dec 7, 2024
On Saturday, Nov 16, 2024, we were honoured to have Willoughby Arevalo, mycologist and author of DIY Mushroom Cultivation, lead a Making Friends with Fungi Walk with us. Douglas Fir Willoughby began by welcoming everyone in the Douglas Fir Teaching Garden, pointing out that the… Read More »Making Friends with Fungi Walk – Nov 16, 2024
On Wednesday, Nov 13, 10 artists gathered at the Champlain Heights Community Centre to learn lantern building techniques and begin constructing lanterns for our Light up the Night in Champlain Heights festival! Eco-Artist, Joshua Ralph, helped lead the collabaration. He began with a land acknolwedgement… Read More »Artist Collaboration!
Today, on Sat, Nov 2, 18 volunteers gather at the Douglas Fir Teaching Garden on the Red Alder Trail for our monthly Invasive Pull. We began with a welcome circle and land ackowledgment. Our volunteer co-lead, Genevieve, invited each volunteer to introduce themselves, share their… Read More »Wild Chervil & Native Plants!
Our Healing Forest planting event, held on Sunday, Oct 20, truly demonstrated how dedicated all our Free the Fern volunteers are! The event took place at the tail-end of an atmospheric river, which had been causing flooding throughout the Lower Mainland. Our Healing Forest event… Read More »Healing Forest – Oct 20, 2024
Today we had one of our largest groups of volunteers we have ever had for an Invasive Pull! An incredible 24 volunteers gathered at the Douglas Fir Teaching Garden in South Vancouver eager to help remove invasives along the Red Alder Trail. Our focus was… Read More »Invasive Pull – Sat, Oct 5, 2024
In honour of Truth & Reconciliation Day, 12 local volunteers gathered today to plant 90 native plants along the Red Alder Trail in South Vancouver. We consider our Free the Fern stewardship effort to be an act of healing and reconciliation, replacing colonial invasive species… Read More »Truth & Reconciliation Planting 2024