Investment in local open space, greenways and trails is critical Guest column by Christopher G. Miller:  In these emotionally and physically trying days of COVID-19 quarantines and social distancing, many people are increasingly turning to iconic parks, trails and green spaces for solace, exercise and restorative access to nature. And that’s great news. But our current […]

Business Meeting of Virginia’s United Land Trusts, Contemporary Topics in VA Land Conservation Firnew Farm, 19 Wolftown-Hood Road Hood, VA  22723 Friday, September 20, 2019, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm  RSVP VaULT September 20 Business Meeting 9:30-10, Coffee and mingle 10:00: Welcome, Introductions, Comments from the VaULT Board of Directors  Partnerships:  Ryan Brown, Director, Department of Game […]

Commonwealth of Virginia Office of Governor Ralph S. Northam FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: January 17, 2019 Office of the Governor Contact: Alena Yarmosky Email: Alena.Yarmosky@governor.virginia.gov Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Contact: Elaine Lidholm Email: Elaine.Lidholm@vdacs.virginia.gov Phone: (804) 786-7686 Governor Northam Announces Over $600,000 in Farmland Preservation Grants  ~ Albemarle, Clarke, Fauquier, and Stafford counties, cities […]

Commonwealth of Virginia Office of Governor Ralph S. Northam FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: December 12, 2018  Office of the Governor Contact: Ofirah Yheskel Email: Ofirah.Yheskel@governor.virginia.gov Governor Northam Proposes Major Investments to Protect Virginia’s Water Quality and Accelerate Chesapeake Bay Cleanup ~ Budget package to include significant funding to address water quality, storm water, and support land […]

Congratulations to Matt Lohr!  Secretary Perdue Names NRCS Chief WASHINGTON, December 3, 2018 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today the appointment of Matthew J. “Matt” Lohr to serve as Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). In his role, Lohr will provide leadership for NRCS and its […]

MURPHY: GOVERNOR NORTHAM’S PLEDGE TO PROTECT By W. TAYLOE MURPHY JR., Published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 24, 2018 This April, Gov. Ralph Northam made a bold commitment to triple the amount of money the state spends on natural resources — an ambitious and laudable goal that I pursued throughout my career in the General […]

Daily Press Editorial:  Creating a stronger community Daily Press Editorial Board, 8-28-18 The country’s first African-American family gets a grant to protect its heritage. Tucked into a thicket next to a suburban street that arrived well after the headstones were placed, the Tucker Family Cemetery is finally getting the recognition and protection it deserves. The […]

DHR Announces $1.1 Million in 2018 Va. Battlefield Preservation Grants American Battlefield Trust & Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation Announcement Yorktown’s Battlefield Bluffs site RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Historic Resources today announced over 562 acres of battlefield will be placed under protection through grants from this year’s Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund. The awards totaling […]

Update from Chesapeake Conservation Partners The Network for Landscape Conservation just issued a new report — Pathways Forward: Progress and Priorities in Landscape Conservation. It’s well worth reading. Here in the Chesapeake watershed, we have working at landscape scales for years — the Chesapeake Bay Program on water quality and other values; the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership on land […]

Tee Clarkson’s outdoor column in the Richmond Times Dispatch, appeared September 2, 2018. When I am feeling nostalgic, I’ll jump on my bike and ride backward through my life. It’s just a few miles to the house where my parents brought me home from St. Mary’s Hospital 45 years ago, my mother cradling me in […]