Food Forest Foraging & Blackberry Removal

We're creating a new Food Forest at Renfrew Ravine Park! At this 1st session, we'll create a vision, forage berries, remove invasive plants.
About this Event

The Renfrew Ravine Food Forest is a new community-engaged natural space tended by community volunteers. In the summer, the forest comes alive with thimbleberries, salmonberries, and more. Come & forage with us, enjoy time outside together!

Join facilitators Leona Brown and Maria Preoteasa to learn about food forests, create a vision for the future of this site, enjoy some ripe berries, and connect with other foragers in the community. We'll also start work with the land by removing the thick cover of invasive blackberries to make room for a diversity of food and medicine plants.

At this and future Food Forest stewardship sessions,we'll tend the food forest, or forest garden while we discuss our connection to the land. We will learn about the importance of food sovereignty through native plant ecosystem stewardship, and the roles of a food forest in a community.

At many of these gatherings, we forage for edible plants, and get to taste them as well as learn about their traditional uses!

About the Facilitators

• Leona Brown is the lead Facilitator and Indigenous Advisor for the Renfrew Ravine Food Forest. She is a Gitxsan and Nisga’a mother of 3 children, of the Fireweed House and the Killerwhale Clan. Leona is an Indigenous Independent Cultural Facilitator and an Indigenous Co-Creator for the Vancouver Urban Food Forest Foundation.
• Maria Preoteasa (she/her) is an uninvited settler from Romania living, working and playing on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. Her work with Still Moon supports community stewardship initiatives, food forest programming, and youth-led projects. She volunteers as the Co-Vice President of the Vancouver Urban Food Forest Foundation and, previously, led the creation of SFU’s Food Forest Outdoor Learning Space.

Be Prepared

• This event is best for those age 14+, but all ages are welcome. Young children must be accompanied by an adult.
• This is a free event.
• Wear weather-appropriate clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty & sturdy closed-toed shoes
• Bring a full water bottle
• Snacks will be provided, as well as edible plants.
• Tools will be provided. Feel free to bring some if you have (gardening gloves, hand trowels, knee pads/mat to kneel on if you have one)
• There are 12 sessions each year. You can choose to attend one or all of the sessions, that's up to you!

Accessibility

• The Renfrew Ravine Food Forest is adjacent to the Colour-Me-Local Dye Garden, which is an unpaved grass garden located in the northwest corner of Renfrew Ravine Park. Wheelchairs may require assistance on the uneven ground.
• There is free parking in the neighbourhood.
• Washrooms are not available onsite, but can be found at the Renfrew Public Library located a 5-minute walk away (~300 meters).
• There are benches and chairs available.
• If you need help getting to the site or have other questions about accessibility, please email [email protected].
• This event will include a range of activities, including some that are that are less labour intensive, like discussion, berry picking & preparation, an enjoying the beautiful forest and birdsong.

About Renfrew Ravine Park Food Forest

The Renfrew Ravine Park Food Forest, located on the West Side of the Renfrew Ravine, is a community-engaged initiative focused on planting, maintaining, harvesting, processing and using plants known for their edible and medicinal uses. This initiative is a collaboration between Indigenous Advisor and Cultural Facilitator Leona Brown, Still Moon Arts Society, and the community.

About Still Moon Arts Society

Still Moon Arts Society mobilizes community and creates positive change through eco-arts and environmental stewardship programming, and produces the annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival. Still Moon is a registered charity whose mission is to inspire vibrant and connected communities by creating artistic experiences and nurturing a passion for nature.