The James River Stewardship Program (JRSP) hired four new Seasonal Stewardship Assistants to complete year three of the program! The James River Association (JRA) and other partners of the Upper & Middle James Riparian Consortium (Consortium) created the JRSP in 2022. Stewardship of riparian forest buffers is consistently noted as a priority, but most cost-assistance programs lack sufficient support for maintenance that is key to a forest buffer’s success. JRA, the Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Farm Service Agency (FSA), along with input from over a dozen partners of the Consortium Implementation Team, developed the JRSP to protect the investment in riparian forest buffers, ensure positive examples of the practice through stewardship to increase adoption, and provide technical assistance through summer internships.
Over a 12 week period during Summer 2024, four Seasonal Stewardship Assistants will assess 400 acres of riparian forest buffers. Assistants Oliver Hite and James Royall are based out of the Amelia NRCS office and will cover forest buffer projects in Amelia, Powhatan, and Goochland counties, as well as a few projects in Prince Edward, Cumberland, and Buckingham counties. Assistants Pierce Harding and Blythe Brewster are based out of the Louisa NRCS office and will cover forest buffer projects in Albemarle, Nelson, and Fluvanna counties. The Assistants look at overall success of the buffer with special focus on native tree and shrub establishment rate and invasive species cover, which will inform a recommendation report. These will be used to prioritize needed maintenance activities with a goal of performing invasive species management and replanting on around 200 acres from November 2023-April 2024.
Meet our 4 Seasonal Stewardship Assistants for Summer 2023!
Oliver Hite – Amelia
![Oliver James River Buffers](https://thejamesriver.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Oliver-James-River-Buffers.png)
James Royall – Amelia
![James James River Buffers](https://thejamesriver.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/James-James-River-Buffers.png)
Pierce Harding – Louisa
![Pierce James River Buffers](https://thejamesriver.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Pierce-James-River-Buffers.png)
My name is Pierce and I am originally from Amelia Island, Florida. I received my bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Rollins College in Florida and am currently at the University of Virginia pursuing a master’s degree in urban and environmental planning with a concentration in conservation planning. Since moving to Virginia two years ago, I have been involved with various environmental non-profits as a volunteer. This position seems like a great opportunity for me to make the professional switch to the conservation field, foster important connections, hone plant ID skills, and experience the captivating nature we have here in the James River Watershed. After graduating from UVA next year, I hope to stay in Virginia and build upon the experience gained from this position. I am particularly interested in the work that local soil and water conservation districts and land trust organizations are involved in. Building relationships with landowners to implement conservation practices that connect and protect our ecosystems is important work that I would feel lucky to be part of long-term! My favorite river activity is practicing wildlife photography.
Blythe Brewster – Louisa
My name is Blythe, and I am from Madison County, Virginia. I just graduated with my bachelors from the College of William and Mary, double majoring in Biology and Environmental Science. I was really excited about the opportunity to do field work in a beautiful area of a beautiful state and build those hands-on skills, while also getting to use my GIS skills and knowledge and improve my report writing and project management abilities. Basically, this position provided almost every element of conservation and restoration work that I hoped to explore and gain experience in, all in one internship. I would love to continue working in restoration science, ideally in either a riparian or wetland/living shoreline context. I think that employing restoration techniques in areas maybe not commonly thought of as “natural,” such as agriculture or urban sites, is incredibly important and interesting. I also know I want to continue to use GIS and geospatial data more broadly to help further restoration action in areas (geographic and professional) where it is currently underutilized. My favorite river activities are walking with my dog along river trails, canoeing, and kayaking!
![Blythe James River Buffers](https://thejamesriver.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Blythe-James-River-Buffers.png)
This initiative is made possible thanks to funding by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and its funding sources. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government, or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation or its funding sources.