The Northern Neck Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society (NNVNPS) will meet at noon Thursday, February 19, at the Lancaster Community Library, 16 Town Centre Drive, Kilmarnock.

Virginia Witmer will present “Grounded in Collaboration: Increasing Native Plant Use and Availability through the Plant Virginia Natives Initiative.”

Witmer is a longtime outreach coordinator for the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program (CZM), a network of state agencies, coastal localities and non-governmental partners with the goal of protecting and sustainably managing coastal resources. It was established in 1986 and is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Witmer is responsible for coordinating all facets of the program’s communication strategy with a host of partners to design and implement community-based social marketing campaigns, including a strong focus on changing behavior to increase use of native plants.

“She was and continues to be responsible for leading our Virginia Native Plant guide program as well as the Plant Virginia Natives campaign. The state would not have the 10 Virginia regional native plant guides, if not for her,” said past president Betsy Washington.

Witmer will provide an overview of the Plant Virginia Natives Initiative, which started on the Eastern Shore in 2009 and expanded to a statewide marketing partnership, including regional native plant marketing campaigns.

Copies of the Chapter’s “Native Plants of the Northern Neck,” a 52-page guide, will be available.

Members and guests are reminded to bring a brown bag lunch or snack.

Virginia Witmer