Dear members,

One of you enquired whether there was a program in place either by Ecoasis or the City of Langford to deal with the proliferation of broom, an invasive species, brought to the island in 1850 by Captain Walter Grant. Way to go!

Ecoasis removes broom from the golf course lands occasionally. It is not without much effort.

Otherwise they do not have a program to remove it from the developable lands which they own.

Ecoasis doesn’t own all the land.

We are not aware for what other developers which own other parcels on Bear Mountain are doing.

Here is the position of the City of Langford. See highlights.

https://www.langford.ca/EN/meta/departments/parks-and-recreation/invasive-species.html?media=mobile

Invasive Species

Invasive species are an ecological and economic threat to a resource-based economy like British Columbia’s. Langford’s economy is not based upon resource extraction, but that does not mean that invasive species are not a hazard to our citizens, pets, and local wildlife.

Invasive plants, such as the giant hogweed for example, can be toxic to the touch for both humans and animals. This particular plant can cause severe skin rashes and even blindness if exposed to a victim’s eyes.

The City of Langford is actively removing invasive species on two fronts. First, aquatic invasive weeds from Glen, Langford and Florence Lakes are removed by a Weed Harvesting machine during the summer months with the approval of the Ministry of the Environment. As well, the City assists residents who voluntarily remove broom throughout the City by arranging free pick up of the harvested materials for disposal. At this time, the City of Langford has no formal policies or procedures regarding other invasive species and does not remove them from private property. Residents are respectfully asked to take responsibility for clearing invasive species from their property to prevent the spread of the species to neighbouring environments.

Although the City does not remove invasive species, we refer residents to two very informative websites. Both sites are operated by BC non-profit groups who compile information on invasive species and provide education to local and provincial governments and individuals.

Coastal Invasive Species Committee is a Vancouver Island-centric non-profit group that educates, informs, and provides solutions regarding invasive species in the region. Coastal ISC will not remove invasive species. Instead the committee operates as a resource for individuals to take action by providing contacts for qualified contractors.

Invasive Species Council of BC is a province-wide non-profit organization that educates people and other organizations about invasive species, funds research into prevention, and initiates and supports actions that improve the health of BC’s natural ecosystems. The Invasive Species Council of BC does not remove invasive species but provides the resources and knowledge to do so.

Here is a link to Scotch Broom information. https://www.coastalisc.com/scotch-broom/

In summary, it seems up to residents to remove broom from their own lands.

Could the BMCA organize efforts to organize broom pulling or cutting? I suppose we could.Something to keep in mind.

If one of you wants to spearhead efforts to arrange group pulling, and in the absence of a current program, the BMCA could at least spread the word at this point.

Regards,

BMCA
Directors