From office to meadow: A team effort in collaboration

A group of volunteers traded their comfortable office routines for rain-soaked teamwork during an invasive species plant pull at Bunchberry Meadows near Edmonton — proving that shared purpose can cut through any forecast.

From the beginning of the event, hosted by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in partnership with Stantec, it was clear the day wouldn’t go quite as planned. Many events would be postponed or cancelled with this kind of heavy rain, but it didn’t faze this group. They zipped up rain jackets, pulled on work gloves and headed out into the pouring rain like it was nothing. That resilience, equal parts professional grit and shared enthusiasm for the environment, set the tone for everything that followed.

Bunchberry Meadows is a special place: a patch of old-growth forest and open meadows that is a sanctuary for native plants and wildlife. But it’s also a place where invasive species, like Canada thistle, threaten the ecological balance.

That’s why events like this weed pull matter. Despite the weather, or maybe because of it, the impact we made together was undeniable. By the end of the day, over 30 massive bags of thistle had been pulled from the meadow. That’s thousands of plants and seeds that would have otherwise spread, outcompeting native flora and disrupting local pollinators.

But the real success of the day wasn’t just measured in what we removed. It was what we built.
Throughout the event, connections were being made, not just between people and the land, but among colleagues as well. As their boots sank deeper and rain jackets clung tighter, Stantec employees from across teams found themselves side by side, catching up between thistle pulls or meeting face-to-face for the first time outside of a screen. Some traded plant ID tips, while others shared stories about office life and weekend plans.

The thistle may have brought them out, but it was the conversations that carried the day.

As a conservation engagement intern, it’s easy to get caught up in logistics: making sure everyone signs the waiver, gets their gloves, and knows where the first aid kits are. But that day reminded me that my job is also about creating moments of connection.

When people step out of the office and into the field, they begin to see conservation differently. They experience the land not as something abstract to be protected, but as something worth showing up for, rain or shine. Healthy ecosystems don’t just support biodiversity. They foster resilient communities, and a deeper understanding of our place in the environment. In the long run, that kind of connection is what drives meaningful change and stays with us long after the rain has passed.