More robust efforts to eradicate invasive plant species are in the works at Arlington Public Schools.
Core to the effort is collaboration with the county and community volunteers.
Staff from the school system and the county have met several times in recent months to “clarify how volunteers can best work on [school] property,” Jennifer Soles, a natural-resources specialist for the county, told members of the Park and Recreation Commission at a Tuesday meeting.
School-system leaders have begun developing paperwork that prospective volunteers can show to the principal or PTA of a school, explaining the efforts.
Many schools already have volunteer programs to deal with invasive species and promote native plantings. But for those without a direct connection to the school, offering volunteer service can sometimes be daunting.
“Most volunteering at APS is decentralized,” Soles said, “so sometimes our [invasive-species] volunteers are hesitant to just walk in the door of a school. This letter will give them a little more confidence reaching out.”
At least 10 of Arlington’s public schools have areas of natural landscaping, ranging from about an acre to 8.5 acres. The county government’s 2023 Forestry & Natural Resources Plan called for more collaboration between schools and the Department of Parks and Recreation.
“There’s always details that make each location different,” said Steven Bernheisel, assistant director of maintenance services for the school system.
One effort in coming years will be focusing volunteer work on sites where school property is adjacent to county-owned natural land.
Two examples: Glencarlyn Park and Campbell Elementary School combine for 101 acres of natural surroundings, while Barcroft Park and Claremont Elementary School share nearly 50 acres.
In some cases, school leaders may be asked to cede buffer areas on school sites to the county government for incorporation into parkland. An effort moving land ownership near Taylor Elementary School from the school system to county government “worked very well,” Bernheisel said.
However things come about, closer collaboration probably will be helpful, said Alex Sanders, a member of the Park and Recreation Commission.
“This has been bubbling up at the school where my son goes,” he said. “Whenever this has come up before through the PTA, it has run aground because there is a lot of confusion about where the boundary lines are, and who owns what.”
A joint effort would be helpful to “figure out who can do what and where, and move on from there,” Sanders said. “That’s where a lot of the interest has stalled out in the past.”
Arlington County coordinates efforts to remove invasive species with volunteers from Arlington Regional Master Naturalists.
