Surrey's Natural Areas Partnership

Thanks to funding through the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Surrey’s Natural Areas Partnership (SNAP) was able to engage local youth in the environmental restoration process through hands-on programming and support the urban forest by planting native trees and shrubs. SNAP hosted multiple programs at Bear Creek Park where the team mentored and worked with youth involved in the Surrey Youth Stewardship Squad (aged 13-18). During programs in the summer and fall of 2023, SNAP and SYSS removed over 40-yard waste bags of invasive plants, including Himalayan Blackberry and Himalayan Balsam, from the natural area in an urban community. Then, in the fall, SNAP and SYSS returned to plant 340 trees and shrubs into a restored natural ecosystem in Bear Creek Park.