Blue Ridge PRISM to host three day statewide summit to address invasive plant issue in Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Dec. 9, 2023 - PRLog -- Blue Ridge PRISM will bring together representatives of public, private, and nonprofit groups from around the state to create a plan to tackle Virginia's ongoing invasive species problem. The 80 attendees will gather at the Wool Factory in Charlottesville from December 12 through December 14 and include state and local employees, nonprofit leaders, service providers, private landowners, and two members of the Virginia House of Delegates. They represent a microcosm of the interconnected statewide community that deals with the influences of invasive plants and the lack of availability of native plants. By the end of the third day, the group aims to have identified two to six statewide initiatives, with action plans to drive each of the initiatives over the following months and years.

Blue Ridge PRISM is partnering with Future Search consultants Radiant Consulting, LLC and Peterson & Perme Associates for this effort. Future Search is a unique planning method that enables a large, diverse group to come together with a shared mission, take responsibility for future action, and develop commitment to implementation. The shared mission for this event is to create a targeted effort to reduce the presence of invasive plants in Virginia.

"We have the opportunity to chart a new course together to address the impact invasive plants have on our communities, lands, and waters," says Beth Mizell, Executive Director at Blue Ridge PRISM. "Blue Ridge PRISM is honored to host this important workshop with support of the Richard King Mellon Foundation and all of our partners."

For almost a decade Blue Ridge PRISM has been gaining momentum and support for the fight against invasive species. This workshop will take the work to a new level with a greater emphasis on a statewide coalition and creating a strategic blueprint that ultimately results in a more ecological approach to engaging with the land in Virginia. Delegate Paul Krizek and Delegate David Bulova will be joining this event, along with Bettina Ring, the former Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Ms. Ring is currently the Virginia State Director for The Nature Conservancy.

Blue Ridge PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management) is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the impact of invasive plants in Virginia.  For more information about Blue Ridge PRISM, go to http://www.blueridgeprism.org.