About the Plant NOVA Natives campaign
One of nine regional campaigns within the Plant Virginia Natives partnership.

Plant NOVA Natives is the all-volunteer, joint marketing campaign of a grand coalition of non-profit, governmental, and private groups, all working to reverse the decline of native plants and wildlife in Northern Virginia. Our strategy is to encourage residents as well as public and commercial entities to install native plants as the first step toward creating wildlife habitat and functioning ecosystems on their own properties. All are welcome to participate in this collective action movement!

Preparations for the campaign, including the development of the Native Plants for Northern Virginia, began in 2011. The social marketing campaign officially launched in 2014.

Native plant species evolved within specific regions and dispersed throughout their range without known human involvement. These plants form the primary structure of the living landscape and provide food and shelter for native animal species. Native plants co-evolved with native animals over many thousands to millions of years and have formed complex and interdependent relationships. Many species of Virginia’s wildlife including migratory songbirds rely exclusively upon native flora to provide food and cover. Many butterflies and other animals such as the snowberry clearwing moth (featured in our logo) require specific plants for their survival. All these species are in sharp decline. We can turn that around and create a Northern Virginia where humans share their properties with the rest of the living world. Our guide Native Plants for Northern Virginia is available for free online as pdf or in print for a small fee.

We are unincorporated and have no paid staff. Overall guidance for the campaign is conducted by the Steering Committee, consisting of representatives of the partnering organizations and other volunteers. All are welcome. The various functions of the campaign are handled by volunteers. At each Steering Committee meeting, we ask ourselves this question: "Have we considered the effect of our decisions today on our goals to diversify our organization and our outreach?"

Contact Us

Got questions or comments? Are you interested in being a campaign partner?

Funding

Most of our campaign activities are provided by volunteers and partnering organizations. We also welcome donations which we use to pay for stickers on plants at garden centers, door hangers for the Tree Rescuers to distribute, tabling materials for volunteers at events, Facebook ads, conference expenses, our website, and other incidental expenses. The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is acting as our fiscal sponsor, as Plant NOVA Natives is not by itself a legal organization. We are also grateful for grants from the Virginia Department of Forestry.

The original development of this website and the creation and printing of the guide were funded in part by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and through grants from the US Department of Commerce, NOAA, to the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, Additional funding for printing costs of the Plant NOVA Natives guide came from the 95 Express Lanes Grants and the program partners. Currently the guide is funded by the Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society.

Help us realize our goal of encouraging 100,000 people in Northern Virginia to plant at least one native plant intentionally in the next few years! Steering Committee meetings are held approximately monthly—all are welcome! Dates and times can be found on our calendar.