The Blue Ridge PRISM Quarterly Meeting – October 2017 The mission of the Blue Ridge PRISM is to reduce the impact of invasive species in our targeted geography. Rod Walker, Landowner Ashton Fisher, Program Director October 18, 2017 www.blueridgeprism.org PRISM = Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management

Plan for Today Plant ID for plants brought in Introductions RCPP and PRISM updates – Rod et al Landowner panel – Ashton Fisher - Moderator Jim Hurley Marcia Mabee Brian Morse Bernice Thieblot Rod Walker

Introductions and Background Go around the room for introductions Where is your land – county or town? Why are you here? What are your interests?

Recent Events Trainings: Presentations: Tablings: RappU Landowner Course – 5 Friday sessions Rockfish Valley Foundation Fall/Winter course Presentations: Dogwood Garden Club – Charlottesville Renaissance School and Camp Albemarle Pure Water Forum Annual Meeting – Bluemont SW VA group considering starting a CWMA – Lebanon Albemarle County Farm Bureau – Crozet Tablings: Albemarle County Riverfest Monticello Harvest Festival Augusta County Fair

Upcoming Events Training sessions Oct 24 or Dec 5 – Intro to Invasives 6:30 to 8:30 pm - Albemarle High School, Charlottesville Fall/Winter landowner information sessions Plant ID, treatment options, walk-about, equipment demo Oct 25 – JMU, 28 – SCBI (Front Royal), 30 – Ivy Creek Quarterly meeting - Jan 24 – Ailanthus biocontrol research update Lead researcher from VA Tech Ivy Creek Natural Area – Charlottesville – 1pm

Upcoming Events Presentations: Tabling opportunities: Tree Stewards meeting – Oct 23 – organizing invasive plant removal efforts Five minutes at the Dugdale award ceremony – morning of Oct 27 at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville Tabling opportunities: Harvest Gathering – Clarke County – Oct 21-22 See www.harvestgathering.org Garden Club of Virginia – morning of Oct 27 at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville Albemarle Ciderworks Harvest Festival – Nov 4

RCPP Status History $894,000 award announced a year ago $640,000 net to landowners Signed our contract with NRCS Sept 2016 Public announcement in October 2016 Conducted training sessions 2 for NRCS and VDOF staff 1 for contractors Started accepting applications mid-November

RCPP Status Status as of September 2017: 96 signed contracts 2,155 acres All funds committed East of the Blue Ridge (Nelson, Albemarle, Greene, Madison and Rappahannock) 58 contracts, 1,503 acres, 71% of funds West of the Blue Ridge (Augusta, Rockingham, Page, Warren and Clarke) 38 contracts, 651 acres, 29% of funds No longer advertising availability

RCPP Status by County

RCPP Status by EQIP Practice

PRISM Updates The Garden Club of Virginia has chosen the PRISM as the recipient of their annual Elizabeth Cabell Dugdale Award for Meritorious Achievement in Conservation Actual award will be made at the Paramount theater in Charlottesville on October 27th See https://www.gcvirginia.org/main/awardwinner/120 Great recognition for what a great team can do in three years!!

PRISM Updates VA Dept of Forestry invasive plant treatment chart Other CWMAs in Virginia Progress on new regulations for the VA Noxious Weed Law Drone project with UVA 672 people on our mailing list

Funding Sources Fundraising progress Raised the $15,000 we needed – THANK YOU Freed up the $15,000 grant (in three payments) from the Virginia Environmental Endowment and another matching $15,000 from a family foundation Gives us funding through next summer Need to start work on next round of funding Grant proposals – answers at the end of the year $100,000 proposal to NFWF for wavyleaf funding – Dec $900,000 proposal to DuPont settlement program for wavyleaf funding – Dec Rejected by NRCS for another round of RCPP Try again next year Will write a proposal in January for drone project

Next Steps Need volunteers for: Oct 21-22 in Clarke County Nov 4 at Albemarle Ciderworks Harvest Festival Sign up for landowner information sessions Oct 25 – JMU, 28 – SCBI (Front Royal), 30 – Ivy Creek Attend the Garden Club of Virginia event at the Paramount in Charlottesville – morning Oct 27 Add your name to the mailing list if you are not already on it Landowner panel is next after a short break