Whidbey conservationists eye Vancouver Island Broombusters model to fight Scotch broom

South Whidbey conservationists have invited Joanne Sales, executive director of Vancouver Island’s volunteer group BroomBusters, to speak at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 1 at St. Hubert Catholic Church, 804 Third Street in Langley, as local teams prepare for the bright yellow Scotch broom surge that typically blankets roadsides and hillsides each April. The talk, sponsored by St. Hubert Catholic Church’s Green Team and the Goosefoot Community Fund, is intended to transfer methods used on Vancouver Island to Whidbey Island’s noxious-weed managers.

Scotch broom is being framed as both an ecological and public-safety problem. Whidbey News‑Times reporting cites the shrub as Washington state’s top toxic woody weed and quotes Sales calling it “horrible” and “a dominator.” Sales also described it as “highly flammable because of its high oil content. It can grow 9 feet tall. It’s a beast. But we’ve made a lot of progress.” The plant is unpalatable to livestock and wildlife and suppresses native plant and tree regeneration, according to the reporting.

Organizers on Vancouver Island point to measurable results from a volunteer campaign that began in 2006. Whidbey News‑Times noted BroomBusters’ “Cut the Bloomin’ Broom” campaign has engaged 17 municipalities and that Qualicum Beach is cited as 99% broom free. The same reporting says BroomBusters “expect about 600 volunteers laboring for 6,000 hours during its mid‑April to end of May eradication efforts this year.” The sources did not specify a calendar year for that projection.

Comox Valley activity illustrates the model Whidbey groups are studying. Bev Agur, coordinator of the Comox Valley BroomBusters, told local stations CHLY and CVOX about the plant’s introduction and impacts and, as Frequency reports, said she is proud “of how much progress has been made in the past 15 years” and that “with more community involvement, much more can be done.” Frequency lists a public BroomBusters event on Saturday, May 17 at Nikkei Park in Cumberland from 9:30 a.m. to noon and directs interested people to BroomBusters.org for details.

The cross‑border exchange underscores a shared problem: Whidbey organizers were told that private property owners, local municipalities, park, forest, beach and camping area managers and community residents all need to be “educated and involved to best beat back Scotch broom,” Sales said, adding “it’s not been hard to get volunteers” and “people want it gone.” As Whidbey groups prepare for the April bloom, the March 1 presentation and Vancouver Island’s volunteer metrics will be central to local planning.