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Annual BroomBusters-ODT effort gets underway

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 4, 2026

By Sequim Gazette staff

Photo courtesy Dungeness River Nature Center For 14 years, volunteers have helped remove invasive Scotch broom from areas around the Olympic Discovery Trail. The annual campaign combines hands-on stewardship with fundraising that supports the River Center’s education programs.
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Photo courtesy Dungeness River Nature Center

For 14 years, volunteers have helped remove invasive Scotch broom from areas around the Olympic Discovery Trail. The annual campaign combines hands-on stewardship with fundraising that supports the River Center’s education programs.

Photo courtesy Dungeness River Nature Center For 14 years, volunteers have helped remove invasive Scotch broom from areas around the Olympic Discovery Trail. The annual campaign combines hands-on stewardship with fundraising that supports the River Center’s education programs.
Photo courtesy Dungeness River Nature Center/ Scotch broom is highly invasive and displaces native vegetation.

This month, for the 14th year, volunteers will take to the Olympic Discovery Trail for BroomBusters-ODT, a community-led effort to remove invasive Scotch broom by the roots while raising funds for the Dungeness River Nature Center’s education programs. Led by longtime River Center volunteer Gretha Davis, the group effort takes place every Wednesday in March from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., beginning March 4.

Scotch broom is highly invasive, displacing native vegetation and interfering with reforestation by out-competing Northwest native seedlings. In addition, it is a potential fire hazard, is mildly toxic and its fragrance triggers allergic reactions in many people. The seeds remain viable in the ground for up to 60 years.

BroomBusters-ODT has become a local tradition that blends hands-on stewardship with fundraising for education. While volunteers pull invasive plants along the trail, supporters rally friends and neighbors to give in support of River Center education programs that connect youth and adults to the Dungeness River and surrounding natural areas.

This year’s fundraising goal is $5,000 to support field trips, youth education programs, and lifelong learning opportunities at the River Center.

Community members can participate by giving a gift to the BroomBusters-ODT campaign here — dungenessrivercenter.app.neoncrm.com/2026BroomBusters-ODT — or by volunteering and spreading the word. Interested volunteers can contact Davis at grethadianadavis@gmail.com or by calling 360-477-5407.

Here are the dates and locations for Scotch broom removal efforts:

• March 4: Olympic Discovery Trail and Diamond Point Road, Miller Peninsula

• March 11: Olympic Discovery Trail and Old Blyn Highway, Blyn

• March 18: Olympic Discovery Trail and Whitefeather Way, Sequim

• March 25: Olympic Discovery Trail at 18th Street and Milwaukee Drive, Port Angeles

The Dungeness River Nature Center is located at 1943 W. Hendrickson Road.

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