31 May 2023

(Coos County, OR) – Volunteers will continue efforts to remove invasive Scotch broom and French broom growing on property near the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport within the Coos County Airport District (CCAD). The event is the second following an Earth Day activity held in April. Anyone is encouraged to attend. Volunteers will target flowering broom shrubs. The event happens from noon until 2:00 pm on Saturday, June 17, 2023.

About an acre and a half of Scotch and French broom was removed by volunteers in April. Organizer and Airport Heights neighborhood representative Steve Skinner says he hopes to target flowering plants in order to cover more area. He would also like to schedule others to make this a long-term eradication effort.

Skinner is working with the Coos Watershed Association to organize the June event to stop the spread of Cytisus scoparius (Scotch broom) and Genista monspessulan (French broom), invasive shrubs that outcompete native plants and potentially spread wildfires. Volunteers will stage west of Airport Heights Park near the intersection of Colorado and Arthur. Plan to work on uneven ground and  bring gloves and water.

CCAD is a special district that owns and operates the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport. It consists of 619 landside and airside acres and leases over 33 commercial facilities, that combined with those tenants, help employ over 600 personnel. For more information, call (541) 756-8531 or email info@flyoth.com.  You can also follow the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport on Facebook.