Tag Archives: Champlain Heights

South Van Strawberry Social June 5, 2022

12 May

In South Vancouver, there is amazing non-profit called Free The Fern that has been working hard to remove invasive plants from the Red Alder Trail in Champlain Heights. In doing so, they’ve built a great community supporting their work. Their projects have been funded in part by TD Park People and Neighbourhood Small Grants.  This is a passionate group making a difference in their community.   On Sunday, June 5th, they are hosting an event and showcasing their passion and projects with you.  

Free The Fern invites you to the South Van Strawberry Social being held Sunday, June 5th from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on the Red Alder Trail, 3530 Swansacre.  On hand, you can expect to find:

  • 200 free servings of strawberries (with shortcake and whipped cream) – First come first serve.
  • live music, including a 20s-40s jazz trio.
  • local craft vendors: Resistance Kitters (fundraising for Ukraine), Wild Rose Natural Skincare, Goodfellow Craftery, and more.
  • an eco art workshop: learn how to make a pencil from an invasive blackberry stem.
  • tours of our new Douglas Fir Teaching Garden: with hundreds of native flowers, berries, and ferns. Note, this teaching garden includes a Douglas Fir which is estimated at 162 years old.

To learn more, visit them online at Free The Fern or reach out to them directly at freethefern@gmail.com.

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Volunteers Needed For Community Planting Event October 24th

2 Oct

Local group Free The Fern is hosting a Community Planting Event on October 24th from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. They are on the hunt for volunteer planters.  

For a bit of history for those unfamiliar with this group’s work, Free the Fern is an environmental stewardship group formed in 2021 that is located in South Vancouver. Their 20 members have spent over 360 volunteer hours removing 49 tons of invasive weeds from the Champlain Heights Trail. Thanks to a TD Park People Grant and donations from community members, they will now be replanting native plants along this forested trail some of which include perennial flowers, berries and ferns. 

They need volunteers to make this event a success.  Free the Fern is on the hunt for volunteers of all ages and abilities to sign up to help on October 24th. There are opportunities as well for those who may not be up for the physical work of planting.  To sign up or ask questions, you can email organizers directly at freethefern@gmail.com or sign up with the Google Documents Volunteer Sign-Up Form.

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Free The Fern Hosts Invasive Removal Zoom Session April 28, 2021

11 Apr

If you are interested in learning about the best practices for removing common invasive weeds, Free The Fern invites you to a free Zoom session on Wednesday, April 28th 7:00 – 8:30 pm.  You will learn the skills to remove invasive plants like Himalayan Blackberry, English Ivy and others from your garden or other green space.  Free the Fern is a new local organization based in SE Vancouver that was founded in January 2021. It is a group of 14 community members and environmental stewards living within Champlain Heights.  They, like many others, realize invasive plants have already spread throughout our local parks and green spaces. Free the Fern was created to decrease the spread of invasives along the Champlain Heights Trail with a mission to replace the invasive species with native plants.  If you are interested in participating in the Zoom session, pre-registration is required email them directly to register at freethefern@gmail.com.  

Free The Fern is also hosting a fundraiser to raise money for adding new native plants to the Champlain Heights Trail. Hand painted canvases by Christine (Kiki) Nombrado featuring local birds and plants are available for sale for $15 each (5″ x 7”) or 3 for $40. 100% of the proceeds will go to fund native planting on the Champlain Heights Trail this Fall.  To purchase the art work, we invite you to reach out to freethefern@gmail.com. To follow along on Instagram, visit them at FreeTheFern.

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