Our Committees

Their roles and responsibilities

Our committees meet on Zoom as needed and welcome new members. Fairfax County is home to 1.4 million people and covers more than 400 square miles. Invasive plants respect no boundaries. We will only succeed if the whole community pitches in.

Community Representatives Team

Proposed 1+ for each community association or neighborhood

The ultimate goal of community representatives is to help rid their neighborhoods of at least the worst infestations of invasive plants and to expand biodiversity by encouraging the planting of natives.

  • Raise awareness in your community

  • Distribute information that we’ll email you periodically

  • Work with others to strategize about how to get the invasive plants under control in your local area.

Site VisitTeam

Site visit volunteers (at least a dozen)

  • Two-three volunteers per visit

  • Walk around with the decision-makers on community or commercial properties.

  • Identify invasive plants and discuss management options.

  • Create a report for them and for our records.

  • Follow up periodically to answer further questions and offer encouragement.

Site visit organizers (at least 2)

  • Match visit requests up with volunteers

  • Keep track of it all.

Area coordinators

Proposed 2 for each area

Area Representatives help the Community Representatives collaborate and strategize about how to reach and assist all the landowners in the area where invasive plants are problematic. Specifically

  • Organize community representatives within an area

  • Have a meeting for them (virtually or otherwise) at least once a year

New Hampshire’s Picking our Battles document may give you some ideas.

Public Awareness Team

Social media 

  • Content creators (at least 3)

    • Create and post series with nice graphics, at least one posting monthly

    • Create one-offs as needed

  • Site administrators (at least 2 for each platform)

    • Monitor replies and messages

    • Post announcements, news

    • Share Blue RIdge PRISM posts when timely

Writers

  • Newsletter article writers (at least 2)

    • Produce at least one article for each newsletter

  • Other article writers (at least 2)

    • Seek out publications that would accept other articles and obtain permission

    • Write and submit articles

  • Team update writers (1 for each team that needs this)

    • Work with team leaders to produce updates for their volunteers

Newsletter organizers (at least 2)

  • Solicit, collect, and organize material on Google Docs

  • Update the email server contact list. Use tags to separate audiences.

  • Publish approximately monthly 

  • Maintain contact list of people willing to share, and request they do so each time

  • Post on social media

Website managers (at least 3)

  • Keep it organized

  • Create new pages and edit content when needed

  • Maintain the calendar and event sign-ups