Consortium partners gathered on May 5th in Charlottesville, VA to connect in the spirit of caring for and celebrating more mature buffers, including a tour of the buffer at James Monroe’s Highland!

Learn more about our Consortium Meeting in this blog and the Meeting Summary at this link (to be shared soon). 

The theme of our May 5th Consortium Meeting was longevity of buffers & partnerships, focusing on exploring more mature buffers, as well as the maintenance and partnerships required to sustain them. Our meeting was held at James Monroe’s Highland, home of a James River Buffer Program (JRBP) buffer planted in 2020! Learn more about the Highland buffer planting here.

We had two separate buffer tours to celebrate and learn from the almost 6-year old buffer at Highland. In the morning, 16 JRBP landowners joined us for a pre-meeting tour of the buffer and tree library. Led by Anne Marie Roberts and Ryan Walsh, James River Association, and Tamara Wamsley, Highland, the tour brought landowners around the grounds and engaged them in discussion about buffer maintenance as well as specific topics for future JRBP tours including soil health, mowing logistics, and invasive species management.  In the afternoon, meeting attendees had the option to join staff from the James River Association, Highland, and the Rivanna Conservation Alliance on a buffer tour geared toward practitioners. 

Thank you to our amazing meeting presenters for sharing your time and expertise with us! 

• Sara Bon-Harper, Executive Director of Highland welcomed us and shared an overview of partnerships and their approach to conservation
• Anne Marie Roberts and Jordan Bennett with the James River Association presented on Buffer Success and Long-Term Stewardship
• Lisa Wittenborn and Bailey Pleasant with the Rivanna Conservation Alliance, and Jessie Wingo with Albemarle County presented on the Rivanna Forest Restoration Partnership 
• Rebecca Deeds, Director of UVA’s Morven Programs presented on current and future use of the 2900 acre sustainability lab 

We are grateful for the staff at James Monroe’s Highland for their partnership and welcoming us for the day! Thank you Jason Woodle and the events team, Tamara Wamsley, and Sara Bon-Harper for your part in making our day a success.