Amber Ellis, JRA’s Restoration Director, initiated invasive plant management on Chapel Island over ten years ago as part of the IPTF.
On September 13th, the James River Association celebrated its second annual EcoFest, “a day dedicated to celebrating and preserving our vibrant local environment” at JRA’s James A. Buzzard Education Center on the bank of Great Shiplock Park.
The day included a tour led by Restoration Director Amber Ellis at Chapel Island where JRA has managed for invasive plants on about four acres since 2014. The site is a perfect place to demonstrate the benefits of long-term commitment to invasive management and to make the case for consistent, focused activities as part of a thoughtful plan.
Chapel Island also proves the fundamental role invasive management plays in restoring and maintaining healthy forested riparian buffers. Forest buffers are woodland areas along waterways that support biological diversity and reduce watershed pollution ending up in our streams and rivers. An abundant diversity of native plant species is what allow them to work their magic, for ecosystems and for us: The presence of trees and the sounds of water, birds, and breezes reduce stress and give us a mood boost. You can experience all of these within forested buffers.
Chinese privet–just one of dozens of invasive plants dominant in the James River Park System–used to overwhelm the “midstory” or “understory” of Chapel Island and those on the tour were happy to see little to none of it on their walk, thanks to the years of hard work by JRA’s dedicated volunteers and other complementary management methods. The group stopped to admire spice bush, black willow and sycamore trees–all native species that are part of this floodplain natural community. 
JRA has observed increased numbers of visitors to Chapel Island’s trails as invasive management work has progressed and native plants have begun to thrive. The revival is owed partly to the natural response of surviving seeds of native species ‘in the seed bed’ that are able to access the sunlight, water, and nutrients previously denied them by dense invasive cover and also by JRA’s helping hand of carefully considered planting.
JRA is at Chapel Island one Friday month to continue invasive removal – please join them! You can find updated volunteer opportunities on the JRA calendar.