A Sooke resident's attempt to rally the community to clear out Scotch broom has fallen short – but they aren't giving up.
When Asteroid, who asked for their last name to be omitted, took to Facebook asking for help clearing out broom at Sooke Potholes, the response was encouraging. Over 40 residents replied with supportive messages. "That's such a thing, we have to do that," one said. "I don't have tools, but I can still come to be a lending hand," another stated.
So Asteroid ran with the encouragement, again posting to the Facebook page on May 23, asking residents to join on May 30 to help clear out the broom in the park – but nobody came.
Asteroid said the response left him feeling "a little discouraged."
"But you know I'm still not going to give up," he said – and he didn't. When May 30 rolled around, Asteroid and friend Bay Leaf were in the park whacking back broom and tearing it out where they could.
"It's pretty important because last year, Sooke Potholes almost burned down, and one of the leading causes of wildfires is Scotch broom because it's so flammable and super invasive," said Asteroid, who further explained the plant was a danger due to its tendency to attract ticks and displace native species.
"Once it starts spreading, if one of them catches on fire, they all do."
Despite going in alone, the pair hope that they can still spread the word about the importance of broom removal.
"We need a lot more people to help with this," said Bay Leaf.
"It's great for us to start, so at least we're showcasing what's happening. People will start to be aware and be like 'Okay, well these two people obviously have a reason to do this.'"
While Asteroid may have been a bit underprepared for a community event, he still came ready with extra tools. But with little time left before the plants began to form seed pods and spread, further action had to be taken.
"I'm thinking maybe if I not only post it on Facebook, but do some other social media and make signs, then it's more likely to get traction, but lesson learned for next time," he said.
While Asteroid doesn't have any immediate plans for the next event, he is planning to continue the effort in the future, possibly tackling other invasive species such as foxglove.
It's safe to say the effort was a learning experience for the pair, as they encountered numerous challenges from advertising to facing the cost of purchasing equipment or supplies to make signs.
But despite the challenge, it was worth it.
"We were put here for a reason – to take care of the earth and to protect the earth," said Bay Leaf.
"There's people being like 'We're sick and tired of forest fires.' Okay, well then let's do something about it."
Asteroid feels the same, and said many of the issues he sees today are preventable.
"It's just something that's inconvenient to do, so we don't do it," he said.
"If we just started planting more native plants, we wouldn't have to worry about invasive plants taking over everything and then seeing a decline in insects and wildlife."
Now the pair hope that their efforts will not only bring attention to their cause but inspire others to pick up a shovel or garden shears and get out removing broom – even if they're doing it on their own.
"If they see just both of us, they could realize, 'Well, there's only two people there, maybe we could do something," said Bay Leaf.
"Even if people don't come to any event specifically that I do, they can just go out and do it themselves," said Asteroid.
"You don't have to have a party to do it, you can just grab a pair of clippers and go for a walk. [Invasive plants] are everywhere."
For future updates on events, residents can check the Sooke Ecological Restoration Facebook page.
