Media Pitch to the Fauquier Times

Background

This media pitch is based on a recent noteworthy event at my workplace, the Oak Spring Garden Foundation. Based in northern Fauquier County, VA, the Oak Spring Garden Foundation is a nonprofit operating foundation that works to educate and advocate around issues relating to plants, gardens, and landscapes. I am pitching this story to the Fauquier Times, which is a weekly print news publication based in Warrenton, VA, the seat of government for Fauquier County. The hook in my headline relates to the introduction of new data centers in the community; a very prominent local story that has dominated the news in our region and in the Fauquier Times specifically. It has been so prominent that there is an entire tab for “Data Centers” news on the Fauquier Times website, under which more than 60 articles have been published this year alone.

To:

Henry Solidago, Staff Writer, Fauquier Times

Headline/Subject Line:

The biggest change coming to Fauquier’s landscape may not be data centers, but this tiny invasive insect.

Body:

Hi Henry,

I have been following your coverage of landscape issues in Fauquier – from data centers to hammerhead worms – for a while now. I’m reaching out from the Oak Spring Garden Foundation with some troubling news that may be relevant to your readers.

In late August, the notorious spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) was found at Oak Spring for the first time. If you aren’t aware, this invasive insect first arrived in eastern Pennsylvania in 2014 and has been spreading across the northeastern U.S. ever since. Spotted lanternflies wreak havoc on trees and crops like grapes, which means they pose a serious threat to Fauquier’s thriving viticultural sector and the beautiful piedmont landscape we all love so much.

If you have any interest in covering the spread of spotted lanternflies in Fauquier and how to prevent it, I would be glad to connect you with our experts listed below. You can learn more in the full press release attached to this email.

Oak Spring Garden Foundation experts:

• Dr. Ren Martins, Ecologist and Collections Specialist

  • Ph.D. in entomology

• Catharine Londale, Head of Biodiversity Conservation

  • Virginia Master Naturalist

• Sir Peter Crane, President

  • Internationally recognized plant scholar

All the best,

Max Smith

Head of Communications

Oak Spring Garden Foundation

P.S. I have also attached an infographic that could be used as a sidebar with helpful tips for homeowners to manage spotted lanternflies on their property.