<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-size: 13px;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style><div style=""><font size="2" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Friends,</font><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><br></font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2">As some of you may have heard, members of the Blue Ridge PRISM were successful 3 weeks ago getting a budget amendment to control Wavyleaf grass (Oplismenus undulatifolius) introduced into the Virginia General Assembly. Delegate Hope of Arlington filed the amendment for $150k/yr for two years in the House Appropriations Committee, and Senator Emmett Hanger of Augusta Co. filed for $200k/yr for two years in the Senate Finance Committee. The funds will be used to control Wavyleaf on some 300 acres of known infestation in Virginia, for the first two years of what will hopefully be at least a five-year program.</font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><br></font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2">Several of us have been to Richmond, spoken with legislators and dropped off materials, and got a generally positive reception. Among other things, I have pitched the control program to them as an opportunity to stop Wavyleaf in Virginia, as opposed to the situation in Maryland, where Jil Swearingen and Marc Imlay have confirmed my understanding that <span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">full wavyleaf control is now unrealistic, that the seedbank is too large and dispersed and resources too constrained, to be able to contain it. And that consequently, land managers have resigned themselves to keeping it out of high-value natural areas, and are just doing their best to slow its spread, hoping for that biocontrol that may yet be developed.</span></font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><br></font></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><font size="2">I believe it would be very powerful for three key delegates, and three key senators to hear from those of you in Maryland who are now in this very difficult position re: Wavyleaf, while we in Virginia may still be able to stop it here. The time to write them is now, in the next several days, as the legislators in these two committees are dealing (literally) on budget amendments right now. See below for what to do.</font></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><br></font></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><font size="2">Thanks very much for your help.</font></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><br></font></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><font size="2">Jim Hurley</font></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><br></font></span></div><div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><font size="4" color="#84be2d">Here's what to do:</font></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><br></font></span></div><div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><font size="2" color="#ff0000">Write these three members of the House Appropriations Committee:</font></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><font size="2">Delegate Kirkland Cox: </font></span><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">DelKCox@house.virginia.gov</span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Delegate John O'Bannon: DelJOBannon@house.virginia.gov</span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Delegate Steve Landes: DelSLandes@house.virginia.gov </span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Subject line: Please support Budget Item 101 #1h, Wavyleaf Grass Control</span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2">Dear Delegate X:</font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Message: Here is some language, but it would also be helpful to add some of your own experience with the MD situation, and exhort them to fund the control program now before it is too late. "<b style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">Please support the Hope amendment, budget item 101 #1h to increase the budget for
the Depart. of Forestry by $150,000 to combat Wavyleaf Grass. This increase is
critically needed to eradicate this aggressive invasive non-native plant that
could grievously harm the Commonwealth’s natural heritage. This is an invasive
plant we can control now before it gets out of hand.”</span></b></div><span class="None" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"> <br></span></b></span><div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font color="#ff0000"><font size="2">Write these three members o</font><span style="font-size: small;">f the Senate Finance Committee:</span></font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><br></font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2">Senator Frank Ruff: district15@senate.virginia.gov</font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2">Senator Emmett Hanger: district24@senate.virginia.gov</font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2">Senator Mark Obenshain: district26@senate.virginia.gov</font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><br></font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2">Subject line: Please support Budget Item 101 #2s, Wavyleaf Grass Control</font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><br></font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2">Dear Senator X:</font></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Message: Here is some language, but it would also be helpful to add some of your own experience with the MD situation, and exhort them to fund the control program now before it is too late. "</span><b style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Please support the Hanger amendment, budget item 101 #2s to increase the budget for the Depart. of Forestry by $200,000 to combat Wavyleaf Grass. This increase is critically needed to eradicate this aggressive invasive non-native plant that could grievously harm the Commonwealth’s natural heritage. This is an invasive plant we can control now before it gets out of hand.”</span></b></div></div></div></body></html>