Broom Bash Annual 2025 - Communities for Sustainable Monterey County

BROOM BASH

Annual 2025 Report

Prepared by John Mott – January 2026

Sincere Thanks to Our Supporters
Thanks to our generous donors, the Sustainable Marina Broom Bash program continues to expand. Since launching in November 2022, we’ve hosted 64 events and welcomed over 100 dedicated volunteers from Marina and beyond. Together, we estimate that 5 acres of invasive broom have been cleared—restoring habitat one broom at a time. More information about how broom destroys native habitat is available at www.cal-ipc.org/resources/library/publications/ipcw/report52

Volunteer Engagement
Our strength lies in our community. In 2025, volunteer participation surged, thanks to outstanding support from CSUMB’s Service-Learning program, the Defense Language Institute, the Presidio of Monterey, the City of Marina, Monterey County Parks, and other local partners. We are not only removing broom but also building bonds between generations, institutions, and neighbors.

2025 Program Highlights
This year has marked a turning point for the Broom Bash initiative:

Updated Website at C4SM Broom Bash Program
Broader Reach: We expanded our restoration efforts to new sites, including areas near Point Lobos, the Presidio, and the Marina Equestrian Center.
Sustained Stewardship: Recognizing that broom seeds can persist in the soil for decades, we return to previously treated areas to remove emerging French Broom seedlings.
New Partnerships: We’re exploring opportunities to collaborate with other like-minded groups to improve our collective impact.

Highlighting Special Events
In addition to our regularly scheduled events, we also hosted special events such as:

York School: 45 juniors joined us for an energetic invasive species removal event.
Marina Earth Day: 11 community volunteers removed broom at Locke Paddon Park.
Marina Coast Water District: 65 staff members participated in our largest event to date.
Edward Jones Event: 15 Edward Jones employees removed broom for their annual workday.
Locke Paddon Park Day: 25 volunteers removed all the broom from the park as part of the City of Marina’s annual event.

We have scaled up our tools and now have 22 weed wrenches, 4 pulaskis, gloves, kneepads and many related tools. We’re excited to continue collaborations with York School, MCWD, and other community partners in the coming year. See photo highlights pages 2 & 3.

A Nourished Community
As the saying goes, “An army marches on its stomach”—and our volunteers are no exception. Thanks to donated baked goods and thoughtful nourishment, each event includes small touches that make a big difference. Sunday breakfast treats, lunches and casual weekday meals together help foster camaraderie and lasting connection.

Volunteers Who Lead the Way
Our heartfelt appreciation goes to the team that makes Broom Bashing not only possible but joyful.

Key Volunteers & Leadership
The continued success of the Broom Bash program is made possible by a dedicated team:

Name		Role
Steve Lee		Quartermaster – Tools, gloves, knee pads, supplies.
Teresa Cheung		Food Angel – Home-baked treats and fresh sandwiches.
Bruce Delgado		Botanist & Bio Awareness Leader – Ecological guidance.
John Mott		Head Broom Basher – Administration and records.
Paul Forsberg		Graphic Artist – he is indispensable and makes us look good.