The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.   We have long recognized that invasive species such as beach vitex pose an enormous threat to our mission, and we have worked for decades to address this threat.  We are one of the largest coastal landowners in the Commonwealth, and we see beach vitex as a direct threat to the ecological viability of some our most important lands, including the 14 barrier and marsh islands we own and manage on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.  

The Nature Conservancy recommends that VDACS retain the statewide quarantine on beach vitex.  Beach, dune and marsh habitats characteristic of coastal ecosystems are highly vulnerable invasion by to beach vitex.  Important conservation resources such as nesting colonial waterbirds and the federally listed and state endangered northeastern beach tiger beetle use these coastal ecosystems. Because seeds and vegetative parts of beach vitex float on water and are carried to new coastal areas via tides or flooding, birds have been observed to eat seeds and are also thought to be responsible for facilitating distribution, and humans have also been known to transport this plant into coastal areas, a statewide quarantine continues to be necessary.

Thank you for consideration of these comments.