The island

BC Parks reports broom removal at Denman butterfly reserve

A restoration team cleared Scotch broom from wetlands in the Denman Island Park and Protected Area butterfly reserve during 2023, according to a report in this week’s Grapevine.

The Denman Firestarter · reporting 2024-04-25 · compiled 2026-10-01

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BC Parks says crews removed Scotch broom from wetlands in the Denman Island Park and Protected Area butterfly reserve during 2023, as part of a restoration plan developed in 2021.^[1]

The reserve covers 10 hectares and is intended to sustain habitat for Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies and other butterflies, the report says.^[1]

Four BC Parks student rangers cleared small broom plants last spring, then removed mature broom in nearby areas. Two Denman residents were contracted in the fall to remove remaining broom from the southwest lobe and clear broom blocking a trail and the area near an information kiosk.^[1]

The crews left 19 piles of broom and cleared almost 22,000 m2, according to Erica McClaren, a BC Parks protected area ecologist quoted in the report.^[1]

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