I had to read the letter by Peter Simeonoff (The News, Aug.3) twice to realize that he was trying to be funny!
It’s not possible for any sighted individual to drive to the recycling depot and look up toward Exit 51 and not see how exceptionally invasive broom is to any other plant – nothing else now grows there.
Three or four years ago there were some pretty wildflowers along the highway at that point.
Broom does grow in the forest — Kit Miller, of Jim’s Gym, organized a group of members to cut the prolific growth of broom among the trees across from the gym. I was only able to spend an hour there but about 30 members spent several hours lopping and piling broom.
Broom costs New Zealand’s economy about $1 billion per year because of land use lost to broom, Oregon spends about $100 million trying to save their logging industry, Croatia is a disaster according to two of our Parksville doctors who visited about two years ago.
The list goes on — type in Scotch broom on the Internet and spend an hour or so reading about the damage caused by broom worldwide.
Persistance is the way to deal with broom. This is the fifth year that I have been lopping broom on Price Road, Fair Road, Despard from Corfield to the Alberni Highway and there were very few, and small, broom plants this year.
Most of the neighbors have been helping and supportive and, I’m sure, will continue now that we’ve seen the results.
I have also cut on Errington Road and Grafton to help the Broombusters in their work to try to control broom.
I think that Broombusters, and particularly Joanne Sales, should get an award for her work in co-ordinating and encouraging people to do their part.
As a volunteer coach I realize how much time and effort is required, as a volunteer, to do this work.
Ed Fergusson
Errington
