The activities and priorities of the BRCA are guided by work groups. Each group develops a work plan and agenda, sets goals, and meets as needed by conference call or in-person meetings. For 2019, these work groups include:
Member Engagement. This work group is tasked with member engagement. It organizes plenary meetings, informal educational workshops, and, when appropriate, public events. It also is charged with internal communications among members and the external communications from BRCA to the public at large, such as press releases from BRCA, media outreach, action alerts, and managing the BRCA website.
Land Conservation and Stewardship. This work group is tasked with developing collaborative strategies and programs to conserve land along the AT corridor and the BRCA focus area. It works to promote best management practices and stewardship on public and private lands. It also will work to connect organizations and landowners with information, funding, and cost-share opportunities for implementing practices. With the support of the Outreach and Communications work group, this group will develop education and information about the benefits of land conservation for use in events and materials.
Agriculture. This group collaborates with the Land Conservation and Stewardship work group to further efforts in conservation and best management practices by working to connect with agricultural producers. With the support of the Outreach and Communications Land Conservation and Stewardship work groups, it will develop information that explains the importance and benefits of land protection to the agriculture community. It will also promote sustainable agriculture practices, the local food movement, land access, and other agriculture-related initiatives.
Policy. This group develops and track policies of special importance to the BRCA focus area, and explores ways to inform and engage BRCA members. In general, it seeks to address issues of importance to the entire focus area, especially those that no or few organizations are addressing but which can be assisted by the BRCA. The group recommends specific actions to be taken by the BRCA, such as create a sign-on letter, launch an action alert, create and host a series of workshops, or develop resources around an issue.