A Clean Up “Treasure Hunt” at Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC with Web of Life

On May 2nd, 2026, our Volunteer Wave community partnered with Web of Life, an environmental stewardship non-profit serving the Lower Mainland, for a trail and forest clean-up in Stanley Park, one of Vancouver's most beloved oceanfront parks. Our efforts ran alongside a beach and shoreline clean-up at English Bay hosted by Keep the Earth Fresh, making it a fantastic day for the environment all around. Stanley Park was getting some well-deserved love from every direction.

This particular clean-up had a different feel from our usual ones. Rather than converging on a single site, volunteers branched off into small groups and explored different trails at their own pace. It was part clean-up, part adventure. The ebb and flow of the day meant some volunteers enjoyed a peaceful park walk while picking up bits of litter along the way, while others paused longer at concentrated pockets of garbage they uncovered tucked along the trails.

One of the most memorable finds came from a volunteer who discovered a human-made hole dug against a fallen tree trunk with a partially hollowed-out cavity. It was filled with chip bags, plastic, aluminum cans, and other garbage. He noted that it seemed as though whoever had been living in that area had been trying to keep their space tidy by tucking garbage into one spot. The hole was dug so deep that he nearly had to stick his whole arm in to retrieve everything from the bottom. Without a doubt, it was the most interesting find of the day.

Despite the more relaxed pace, our group of 16 volunteers still made a real impact. We filled six large demolition bags of park litter, plus a suitcase, a large carpet, two folding chairs, and a plank of lumber that couldn't fit into the bags.

The quieter stretches of the clean-up also created wonderful opportunities for learning. Carl, the founder of Web of Life, and an avid nature explorer, guided the group to one of Canada's largest old-growth trees and shared the significance of various plants, flowers, and even birds along the trails. These little teaching moments that Carl adds to our clean ups is what makes partnering with Web of Life so special; you always leave knowing a little more about the land you're taking care of.

Overall, this was one of our more easygoing clean-ups, and a welcome change of pace for the many volunteers who join us regularly. More clean-ups are on the way this summer in Burnaby, Richmond, and Coquitlam. Make sure to check out Bloomerang to find out where we're headed next with Web of Life!