1. The Blue Ridge PRISM Quarterly Meeting – July 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
Mike DiLello, Conservation Manager, The Farm At Sunnyside
July 22, 2017
PRISM = Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management

2. Plan for Today Plant ID for plants brought in Introductions
Introduction to the Blue Ridge PRISM - Ashton
RCPP and PRISM updates – Rod et al
Guest speakers from The Piedmont Environmental Council – Rex and Claire
Creating a Rappahannock PRISM Organization - Mike

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

4. RCPP Status History $894,000 award announced a year ago
$640,000 net to landowners
Signed our contract with NRCS late September
Public announcement in October
Conducted training sessions
2 for NRCS and VDOF staff
1 for contractors
Started accepting applications mid-November
Held public information sessions at JMU, Blandy, Ivy Creek

5. RCPP Status Status as of June 28th:
68 signed contracts
7 approvals
25 pre-approvals
8 cancellations
$618, 000 allocated to 100 landowners with 3,000 acres
Remaining applications: 2 eligible, 8 pending
Remaining funds: $26,200
No longer advertising availability

6. RCPP Status by County

7. 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
Great recognition for what a great team can do in three years!!

8. PRISM Updates VA Dept of Forestry invasive plant treatment chart
Wavyleaf program – Jim
Training programs for landowners – Ashton
Other CWMAs in Virginia
Progress on new regulations for the VA Noxious Weed Law – Jim, Rod
School programs – Maggie
Drone project with UVA
Volunteers needed – Ashton and Jim
Upcoming events
Results of the PRISM landowner survey - Jim

9. Area Stewardship Survey
Sent to PRISM’s 500+ mailing list in May and June
~45 respondents
42 actively managing invasive plants on their properties
22 interested in area stewardships
13 may be interested
Next steps

10. Responses by County

11. Invasive Species of Concern

12. Potential Area Stewardships

13. Potential Albemarle County Stewardship Areas

14. Plans for Remainder of 2017
Continue work in all areas discussed above.
Fall/Winter landowner training course development and delivery
Includes seasonal advice, special sessions, Plant ID clinics, invasive plant walks and equipment demonstrations – what would you like to see/hear?
Will discuss more elaborate course with SCBI VWL
Next quarterly meeting in Oct/Nov
Inviting partner organizations to speak
Requests
Conduct a strategic planning session to refresh our strategies and plans going forward

15. Funding Sources Donations for our current matching opportunity
Grant proposals
Continue trying NFWF – full proposals turned down twice
Two new pre-proposals just turned in
Request for another round of RCPP funding was just rejected
Foundations are being contacted
List of individuals and other organizations to contact
Now have a DONATE button on our website
Asking for money at all our events and venues
Have charged fees for some training sessions

16. Next Steps Questions and comments?
Thank you for your time and contributions!
Take a ten-minute break

17. Guest Speakers
Rex Linville and Claire Catlett from The Piedmont Environmental Council
Hope to have at least one such presentation at each PRISM quarterly meeting
Make people aware of the landowner services available from our partners

18. Creating a Rappahannock Chapter/Stewardship – Mike DiLello
What should the mission be?
How do we want to go about it?
Who wants to be involved? In what roles?
PRISM support available:
Event support and speakers
Limited funding
Publicity, outreach, training, materials
Put a flyer in every mailbox in the county?
Etc

19. Creating a Rappahannock Chapter/Stewardship
Partner involvement:
PEC
RLEP
RappFlow
VA Cooperative Extension
NRCS – District Conservationist
Dept of Forestry – Area Forester
Examples of other possibilities:
Rappahannock County
Shenandoah National Park
VA Dept of Conservation and Recreation
Master Naturalist chapter
VA Native Plant Society chapter
Garden clubs
Soil and Water Conservation District

20. Rappahannock County Population: 7,400 Households: 3,300
Housing Units: 4,000
Land Area: 266 square miles; ~ 170,000 acres
Mean Family Income: $57,000
Living in Poverty: 10%

21. Next Steps Refine goals and plans Meetings? Events? ….
Who will do what next?