On Saturday, May 24, 2025, we welcomed the 33rd Kerrisdale Centennial Group of Beaver & Scouts to the Douglas Fir Teaching Garden.
The event was led by Free the Fern director, Cole Reintsma, with support from Executive Director, Grace Nombrado, and President, Erin Knock.
Cole began by welcoming the beavers & cubs in the garden. She introduced them to invasive and native plants. Before getting everyone moving – pretending to be birds, flapping their wings.
We then headed south, down the Red Alder Trail. Grace stopped at various points to share facts about the native plants in the area. Some species we discussed were:
- Snowberry: with its round, white berries that look like snow balls.
- Thimbleberry: with its fuzzy, maple leaf-shaped leaves.
- Pacific bleeding heart: with its seeds that are dispersed with the help of local ants
- Low Oregon grape: with its clusters of berries that look like grapes
- and more!
We then stopped at a grassy field for a couple of interactive nature games. The kids learned how to identify ivy vines by passing them under and over in a line. Following which, they made a circle and passed an ivy leaf behind them, while a child in the middle tried to guess where the leaf was.
Following the fun games, everyone got their gloves on and began removing invasive ivy growing beside the trail. The kids loved going deep into the wooded area to hunt for the ivy. Together, they succeeded in removing 1,200 L (4 green bins) worth of ivy! Amazing!
At the end of the event we took a group photo together.
Then the kids had a chance to play in the forest playground.
Thank you to all the beavers & cubs for your hard work. We would love to have you back again in the future!