April 26-28, 2020, The Hotel Madison, Harrisonburg, VA

Virginia’s United Land Trusts is pleased to invite you to be a part of the 2020 Virginia Land Conservation and Greenways Conference. The three-day conference (Sunday through Tuesday) will provide field trips, educational sessions, and opportunities to network with your colleagues.

In recognition of the Shenandoah Valley’s history as an agricultural landscape, the overall conference theme in 2020 is GROW: growing our economy and communities; growing our influence; growing leadership; growing our audience; and even growing beyond the too-comfortable boundaries of our familiar business-as-usual.

The Request for Proposals deadline has passed. Thank you to everyone who submitted an RFP. Please contact Sarah Richardson (804-225-2048) or Natasha Skelton (540- 271-0746) with program questions.

Check back the beginning of February for 2020 program details.

View the 2019 Schedule below

Monday, April 8

12:00 AM to 5 PM	Registration Desk Open **Thanks to American Trails for providing the continuing education credits for this conference.
1:00 to 5:00 PM	Field Trips
5:00 to 6:30 PM	Social Hour, History at the HI Hostel: Virginia’s Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program Uncorked, 7 Nth 2nd St. Enjoy a reception at the historic Otis Elevator Company Building, now the HI Hostel Richmond, and casual walking tour after. Virginia’s historic rehabilitation tax credits are a primary catalyst for the revitalization and ongoing sustainability of historic communities throughout the Commonwealth. Representatives from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources will lead a discussion about this historic building and its recent rehabilitation through the tax credit program. They will be joined by representatives from Hostel International USA.
6:30PM	Dinner on your own, Networking Dinner for Young Professionals. See Lodging and Attractions page for Good Eats dining options
7:00 PM	Virginia Trails Alliance meeting

Tuesday, April 9

7:00 AM to 3:00 PM	Registration Desk Open
8:30 to 11:30 AM	STAC Business Meeting & VaULT Business Meeting, **These meetings are held simultaneously. All are welcome to attend. Membership is not required.
Noon to 1:15 PM – Lunch	Food Systems Panel: Jewel Bronaugh, Commissioner of Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Duron Chavis, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Manager of Community Engagement; Heidi Hertz, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry; and introductions by Melicent Miller Virginia Department of Health, Health Improvement Supervisor
1:30 to 3 PM	Field Trips
1:30 to 3 PM	Workshops A – B – C – D
	Session A Protecting Water Quality in Conserved Forest Areas
	Session B Community Land Trusts: Creating and Preserving Community Infrastructure in Urban Landscapes
	Session C Nothing About Us Without Us – Uplifting the Voices of Young People in Outreach and Conservation Work
	Session D Working with the Development Community for Trails Implementation (45 min.) Rail Trails – Building Up to Risk Mitigation (45 min.)
3 to 3:30 PM	Networking Break
3:30 to 5 PM	Workshops E – F – G – H
	Session E Succession Planning by Family Forest Owners: What's In The Way? (45 min.) Not All Tree Cutting is Forestry (45 min.)
	Session F Multiple Coastal Resilience Benefits of Natural Features
	Session G Raising the Profile of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail in Virginia (45 min.) Capacity Building Initiatives for Outdoor Recreation in the Shenandoah Valley
	Session H Balancing Conservation Goals and Infrastructure Upgrades (VOF)
6:00 PM	Evening event at WestRock – Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation and the Land Preservation Tax Credit program

Wednesday, April 10

6:30 AM to 12:30 PM	Registration Desk Open
7:00 to 8:00 AM	Networking Breakfast and Roundtable Discussions Table A, Update on the Virginia Viewshed Register Project: A View to the Future Table B, My Two Cents – Proposal for a Dedicated Revenue Source for Bike/Ped Infrastructure Funds Table C, ACEP-ALE program update from Virginia NRCS staff
8:00 to 8:45 AM	Keynote Speaker, Speaker: Matthew J. Strickler, Secretary of Natural Resources
9:00 to 10:30 AM	Workshops I – J – K – L
	Session I The Hunting and Angling Contribution to Land Conservation (45 min.) Historic Preservation and Community Outreach within Underrepresented Communities
	Session J ConserveVirginia: Mapping Virginia’s Priority Lands
	Session K Rally SWVA: Paths to Community Progress
	Session L Managing Urban Trails (classroom portion) Mobile workshop takes place 1:30–3:30.
10:30 to 11:00 AM	Networking Break
11:00 to 11:45 AM	Speaker: Matthew J. Lohr, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Services
Noon to 1:30PM	Workshops M – N – O – P
	Session M Curing Title Defects and Obtaining Clear Title to Heirs Property in Virginia
	Session N Keeping Track of What You’ve Got: Easement and Stewardship Data Management Economic Benefits of Conserved Land on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and the Lower Chickahominy (45 min.)
	Session O Giving Back: Great Valley Bike Entrepreneurs Talk Shop
	Session P Lewis and Clark Trail in Virginia (45 min.) The Virginia Mapping Project: Building an 18th Century Trails Network (45 min.)
1:30 to 3:30PM	Session L Managing Urban Trails (field portion)
2:00 to 3:30 p.m.	Recreational Trails Program – Motorized Trail Proposals Workshop (1.5 hours) 600 East Main Street, 12th floor, For more information on the Recreational Trails Program, please visit http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/recreational-planning/trailfnd. For questions regarding this workshop, contact Jett Johnson at jett.johnson@dcr.virginia.gov or (804) 371-4918.

Schedule