Consortium Event
Fall ’24 Buffer Workshops Recap
in Scottsville and Lexington, VA
This fall, the Upper and Middle James Riparian Consortium sponsored two Buffer Maintenance Workshops. These free-to-attend workshops, hosted by the James River Association and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, help landowners learn how to best maintain their riparian buffers through learning key maintenance strategies, necessary tools, Q&A with field staff and partners, and hands-on learning. This year, educators from Blue Ridge PRISM joined us to help landowners with invasive species identification (ID) and removal strategies.
Great buffer maintenance keeps buffers healthy and thriving, allowing them to perform their full range of benefits like erosion control, filtering pollutants, providing wildlife habitats, and more.
Workshops were hosted at sites with buffers installed through the James River Buffer Program (JRBP), with generous landowners who allowed us to spend the morning at their properties! Our Buffer Maintenance Workshops provide an avenue for property owners, including JRBP landowners who are phasing out of their three years of included maintenance, to learn how to continue caring for their buffers over time.
Workshops lasted from 9 am til noon covering key topics like tree shelter maintenance, survival checks, when to mow, and invasive species ID and removal. We started the day with essentials like coffee, snacks, and connection and ended with plenty of take-home resources for attendees
Scottsville Workshop Highlights
- Hosted October 26th, at the beautiful Division Road – The Fields property in Scottsville, VA.
- Landowners Erin and Jason Pecarich welcomed us to their showroom space for the presentation portion, and Erin shared about Division Road – The Fields’ deep commitment to conservation before she joined us for the entire workshop.
- Anne Marie Roberts, James River Association’s Senior Field Manager, presented key buffer maintenance strategies.
- Attendees and staff ventured down to one section of The Fields’ massive buffer for a demonstration on basic buffer maintenance.
- Tim Maywalt, Jacob Edel, and William Hamersky from Blue Ridge PRISM’s team joined us to explore the buffer and gather around the firepit for a lesson on invasive species ID and how to treat differing species.
- Optional on-site maintenance was led by Anne Marie, giving participants a chance to apply what they learned and get live feedback on what they were seeing within the buffer. We were excited that most everyone stayed to join in on the maintenance!
Lexington Workshop Highlights
- Hosted in Lexington, VA on Monday, November 4th at a private residence in Lexington.
- Lindsay Spotts, Upper James Field Technician with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, led the group in learning about maintenance strategies and conversation around our “whys” for implementing and stewarding our buffers.
- Jordan Bennett, Restoration Coordinator with the James River Association and Teagan O’Brien, Watershed Specialist with the Virginia Department of Forestry, joined us on site for additional support with questions around maintenance, the James River Buffer Program, and tree ID.
- Lindsay led the group in buffer exploration and demonstration of basic buffer maintenance.
- Jacob Edel from Blue Ridge Prism helped us identity numerous invasive species and best methods for treatment, as well as Q&A about invasives on attendees’ own properties
- A neighbor saw us setting up the snack and information table, came to inquire about the event and the Consortium, and ended up joining us for the workshop!
Thank you to Blue Ridge PRISM, the James River Association, Erin and Jason Pecarich with Division Road-The Fields, our Lexington site hosts, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Virginia Department of Forestry, and all landowners who took time out of their day to join us and for being part of crafting supportive and wisdom-filled workshops! We look forward to continuing to share maintenance resources and connecting through our passion for buffers and restoration.
Want to see if JRBP, or another program, can help install a buffer on your property? Check out this Programs Tool.
Above: Anne Marie Roberts of JRA, left, demonstrates tree maintenance to workshop participants in Scottsville. Below: Consortium partners at the Lexington workshop (from left to right) Jacob Edel, Blue Ridge PRISM; Teagan O’Brien, Virginia Department of Forestry; Jordan Bennett, James River Association; Lindsay Spotts, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
