Broom Removal in Campbell River

Broombusters History in Campbell River

Ten years ago a sign was posted on a Campbell River billboard. “When driving anywhere on Vancouver Island you can see broom invading every roadway, every ditch and every open piece of land. Join Broombusters and learn how to remove this invasive plant.”

A decade has passed and in Campbell River we can now safely say we are almost a broom free community. We have arrived at this point thanks to forming a Broombusters  local committee with the support and guidance of the founding organization in Qualicum Beach. Since then the original team of local Broombusters has slowly dispersed, generally due to old age  or mobility problems,  but even so our broom is essentially under control.  Thanks to the Rotary Club who continue an annual cut around major roads leading to the city.  As well the local First Nations Band (CRIB) has done a massive amount of broom removal on its riverside acreage. CRIB has built the broom activity into its yearly plan as has the Rotary Club.

We report our annual statistics and volunteer hours, including the  CRIB and Rotary cut, to the City’s Environment Dept. as well as Greenways Land Trust (GLT). Greenways specializes in invasive species removal in the estuaries and wet lands where special equipment is required. We share our safety jackets,  cutting tools and highway signs with GLT and Rotary when needed.

Our local founders, Carol Couture and Morgan Ostler have observed throughout these years that there are more broom cutters who work independently, sometimes on land that has been cleared once but then has resprouted.  One such person is a young university grad specializing in environmental studies, Hunter Jarrett. For several seasons he can often be seen working alone on some isolated patch on the Jubilee Parkway or downtown on undeveloped waterfront acreage. Due to his high profile  as a volunteer he has been selected by the Invasive Species Council of B.C. to work this season on the I.S. Action Team.

Submitted  by M.Ostler