After many months of cold and rain, Vancouver was blessed with a beautiful, warm day today, on May 21, 2022. As the sun warmed the trail, Catherine Munn, of Matheson Heights Co-op, led an Invasive Pull along the Red Alder trail in South Vancouver.
10 stewardship volunteers worked together to remove invasive English ivy and Himalayan blackberry. The ivy had, over many years, grown tangled amongst the native snowberry bushes that grow adjacent to the trail. Volunteers got right down on their hands and knees, removing 7 green bins (2,160 L) worth of invasive weeds. They also collected a bin (180 L) of garbage and a bag of bottles and cans for recycling. In addition, volunteers prepped a large pile of ivy to be used later for basket weaving.
In addition to weeding, volunteers took some time, over juice and snacks, to chat and connect. Through this process of connecting, they discovered that one volunteer is an artist who wants to donate her art to help fundraise for native planting, while another is a teacher who wants to help put together educational resources on native plants. Truly, Free the Fern connects community through environmental stewardship!
Thank you to our amazing volunteers: Martin, Catherine, Joe, Bonnie, Olga, Grace, Mya, Jeannine, Antone, and Robin.
