We washed away the old year and started the new year fresh on Sat, Jan 3, 2026 with a Wet & Wild Invasive Pull. 14 amazing volunteers (7 of them volunteering for the first time) braved heavy rain to join the pull. We gathered at the Douglas Fir Teaching Garden before heading down the Red Alder Trail, Champlain Heights Trails.
Volunteers worked in two groups: lamium & blackberry. The first group used small trowels to battle lamium which was spreading like a carpet on the forest floor. The second group used pruners to cut back prickly Himalayan blackberry canes, before digging out their massive roots. In total, we cleared 720L of invasive plants from the trail! Amazing! Volunteers helped trim the plants into small pieces, so that they fit into two large city green bins.
Due to the heavy rain, we decided to pack up our event early at 11:15am. However, many volunteers stayed after to help pack up the gloves, tools, and other supplies to store away.
Thank you to our dedicated team of volunteers: Abhineet (13 years old), Barbara, Cathy, Connie, Geniveve, Grace, Jade, Jayden (12 years old), Jeannine, Jesse, Natalie, Savanna, Sung, and Veronika.
