In addition to Weeding Invasives and Planting Natives at many sites each year, Natural Biodiversity has established ongoing efforts in priority focus areas. Our initiatives bring a continual widespread impact to broader reaches of geography and more audiences over a long period of time. We believe that in order to succeed with land stewardship on a large landscape scale, these efforts must continue and grow over time.
Perhaps the most important effort is Education. Without it, Citizen Engagement will not happen and landscapes will not be restored. Our showcase is Outdoor Heritage Month each April, with the accompanying Outdoor Adventures annual school field trip. Plus, we have employed a partnership program with schools hoping to create outdoor classrooms on school grounds – this is our Beyond the Schoolhouse program.
Rivals to Education in priority are Early Detection & Rapid Response. With West Virginia University, we’ve employed Research to create |
a statistical model that predicts the likelihood of invasive plant havoc in different types of landscapes and across large areas. Our invasive plant prioritization and data on sensitive natural areas complement and hone the predictions, and then our field scouting takes over – this is a very important kind of Weed Watcher. Once a high priority threat is found, we respond rapidly with help from our Weed Whackers, and disaster is averted.
Cooperative management and planning are imperative, especially when dealing with invasive plants. Natural Biodiversity excels in partnership development, specifically in creating Cooperative Weed Management Area partnerships for the purposes of planning and implementing effective and efficient invasive plant management. We can get more done together than alone – so take a look at our Cooperatives to see how we are partnering, and while you’re there, consider joining us in our efforts.
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