In the winter of 2015, trees in Pony Pasture encased in evergreen English ivy are the inspiration for a new volunteer “task force”.  For years, volunteer groups and individuals had organized occasional projects to curb some of the invasive plants that had taken over the park, but the work did not lead to lasting improvement.  Some members of those groups with growing knowledge and experience in invasive plant management, knew that the severity of the problem demanded a scaled-up, strategic, long-term approach.  After an initial meeting in February, they contact others in Richmond’s informal invasive plant network  and meet with JRPS superintendent Nathan Burrell to pitch their plan for a JRPS invasive plant task force. 

Burrell does more than just support the initiative; he has serendipitous good news: A park neighbor and Senior Environmental Scientist at  Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) had just approached him to propose an invasive plant baseline study of the James River Park System. The nascent task force and their recruited volunteers train that summer with VHB scientists to survey nearly all park units and collect data on species listed as invasive by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Friends of James River Park funds the cost of the survey and its report, supplemented by the in-kind work of the volunteer survey teams. 

Three management areas – Belle Isle, Buttermilk Trail, and Pony Pasture – are already underway.

The task force begins regular monthly meetings and establishes “project focus areas” in multiple park units for consistent, ongoing invasive plant management activities, including regular volunteer events.  

VHB delivered its baseline inventory report to the JRPS and the IPTF.  The report includes color-coded maps of every surveyed study unit corresponding to the density of invasive plant cover and a comprehensive list of all invasive plants identified and their abundance. The baseline study serves as a “snapshot” of the park in August of 2015.

Task force members create a committee structure to tackle goals. Key developments include establishing the four management priorities of preserving mature tree canopy, protecting areas of conservation value, addressing emerging threats (newly established species), and enhancing public benefit.  The task force also puts in place project selection and assessment tools to inform decision-making and evaluation of progress. 

The ITPF hosts its first National Invasive Species Awareness Week in 2017, which becomes an annual series of public outreach events. 

The task force receives reports on a JRPS Natural Community Investigation and supplemental native plant hotspot investigations conducted by botanist Joseph Thompson, then with VHB, Inc. and later with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Natural Heritage Program. The investigations are made possible with funding by the James River Garden Club and Tuckahoe Garden Club, represented by task force member Meg Turner. 

The park system creates an initial  part-time JRPS staff position dedicated to invasive species management, primarily to support weekend volunteer projects and JRPS grant initiatives.

“Floristic Inventory of the James River Park System, Richmond, Virginia” is published in Castanea, The Journal of  the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society in CASTANEA (Nakahata, DeBerry, and Thompson). The inventory becomes an indispensable resource for the task force in addition to the natural community and native plant hotspot investigations.

In January, after 17 years with Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities—the last seven as JRPS superintendent—Nathan Burrell moves on. Bryce Wilk becomes the new superintendent of the park system.  

The task force adapts to the Covid 19 pandemic, continuing to meet virtually and holding volunteer events consistent with park public health policies. 

The JRPS and the IPTF begin partnering on a training program for members to become state Certified Applicators in order to incorporate chemical methods necessary for effective control of many species.

Bryce Wilk hires two staff people – a founding member of the task force and a prior park Americorps volunteer – to share a 20 hour per week grant-funded invasive management position with the park system; the role initially focuses on weekly volunteer events. The partnership between the park system and the IPTF becomes increasingly collaborative.

Bryce Wilk leaves the JRPS and Giles Garrison becomes superintendent.

Task force initiatives include a pilot project controlling Japanese Knotweed on the eastern end of Belle Isle where the high risk species threatens a unique natural community, the coupling of erosion control with invasive removal and native restoration along a section of the Buttermilk Trail, and  removal of mature invasive trees between the Buttermilk Trail and Riverside Drive.  

Task force members provide input related to invasive management and restoration planting with regard to other projects occurring in the park system. 

The IPTF localizes National Invasive Species Awareness Week into “Richmond Invasive Species Awareness Week”, earning recognition from the City Council. 

A second prior Americorps volunteer joins the JRPS invasive species management team. A third current Americorps volunteer is assigned to the invasive species management (ISM) team, which now totals four part-time members.  The task force, ISM team, and park superintendent meet together monthly, consult each other regularly, and routinely work together.  The park’s ISM team becomes increasingly specialized; while continuing ongoing management of project focus areas, the team also controls throughout the park system high risk invasives with narrow treatment windows such as Fig Buttercup and Japanese Knotweed.

A task force grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation supports a stakeholder engagement campaign  focused on park system neighbors. Task force members and staff work together to produce a household survey and four community workshops designed to educate park neighbors about the impact of invasive plants,  methods to control them at home and reduce downstream dispersal to the park system, and garden and landscape choices that support healthier habitat.  

In collaboration with the park system management and Friends of James River Park and supported by a Virginia Department of Forestry grant, the IPTF advances the development of a Natural Resource Management Plan that will provide park staff and stakeholders the knowledge, methods, and tools necessary to protect, restore, and enhance the park’s natural resources. The IPTF leads the search for the selected consultant, Biohabitats, a national firm known for its work restoring ecosystems, conserving habitat, and reconnecting people with nature in urban parks. 

Task force members develop a comprehensive guide to locally native plant species suitable for restoration planting in the park’s different Natural Communities; this process aggregates existing resources the IPTF relies upon and knowledge of key IPTF members to inform recommendations and project planning.