Where VCN’s past Environmental Assemblies have been multi-day, in-person conferences, the pandemic continues to keep us flexible and creative in the ways our Network gets together. This year, we started off our Environmental Assembly with a 2-hour business meeting to handle all of our network’s formal needs, such as sharing our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice plan and gathering feedback from our Partners.

Each Partner also votes on our Board of Directors during the business meeting. This year, 5 current board members were re-elected for an additional two-year term to the board. Congratulations to our continuing board members: Karen Forget, Karen Campblin, Daryl Downing, John Eustis, and Calandra Waters Lake!

One board member, Noah Sachs, professor at the University of Richmond, did not seek reappointment. We’d like to thank Noah for his role at VCN for the past six years and we look forward to working with him in other capacities in the future!

While it was nice seeing all of our partners for the virtual business meeting, we know it’s been a long time since we’ve been together, in-person, and we miss all of our partners! VCN decided the safest way to get together was through smaller regional outings. VCN and our Partners got to choose from 6 regional field trips led by our partners to get outside and meet or reconnect with other Partners.

Piedmont Environmental Council – Community Farm Tour at Roundabout Meadows

Piedmont Environmental Council gave a tour at their Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows and the Old Carolina Trail. PEC has worked for the past five years to expand and enhance public access to sustainable agriculture, native wildlife, and open space at the intersection of Route 15 and Route 50 in Loudoun County, at the edge of the fastest growing suburban community in Virginia.

PEC is striving to preserve a natural, healthy ecosystem at the edge of Loudoun County’s urban sprawl, and these sites demonstrate the importance of community based agriculture and public access to open space.The on-site projects include the PEC Community Farm,  Gilbert’s Corner Farm Market, and ongoing efforts to provide public access to the Old Carolina Road and natural and historic resources along Howsers Branch, a tributary to the Goose Creek.

The tour met at the Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows to tour the farm operation, where we saw a variety of native vegetation, heirloom vegetables, a flock of chickens, and visited with two gentle farm pigs, Maple and Clover. From there, the group caravaned a short distance to the Mt. Zion Historic Park to visit and walk the Old Carolina Trail and observe PEC’s water quality improvement projects on previously over-grazed cow pastures, which made an amazing comeback in the last year as the pasture lay fallow.  Thank you to our amazing partners and tour leads Mike Kane, Dana Melby, and Pete Walton at Piedmont Environmental Council for making this trip happen!

Piedmont Environmental Council – Tour of the Piedmont Memorial Overlook

Around the corner, PEC has been managing approximately 50 acres on the Blue Ridge for wildlife habitat, in particular the 30 acre wildflower meadow.  Participants met near Sky Meadows State Park along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, where the group hiked the walking trails and took in the beautiful viewsheds which serve as a memorial to conservation leaders from Virginia’s Piedmont region. Thank you to our partners at Piedmont Environmental Council, including Chris Miller, October Greenfield, Hallie Harriman, and Maggi Blomstrom for leading a beautiful day of hiking and conservation & restoration conversations at the Piedmont Memorial Overlook.

Virginia Capital Trail Foundation – Capital Trail Bike Ride

The Virginia Capital Trail Foundation led an easy and smooth 15  mile bike ride along the Capital Trail. Riders started at the beginning of the trail in Richmond city and enjoyed views of the James River as well as farmland along Rt 5 in Henrico.   VCTF shared information about the trail along the way including details about the adopt a mile program where volunteers adopt a section of trail and commit to keeping it litter free throughout the year. The group grabbed a well-deserved beverage at Stone Brewing before calling it a day. Thank you to Matt Pienkowski of VCTF for leading a beautiful day of biking and your work keeping this trail accessible to walkers, runners and bikers !

Friends of the Rappahannock Paddle Trip

Friends of the Rappahannock led a four-mile paddle on the Rappahannock River. The group paddled on a beautiful, blue-sky day over Class II whitewater rapids in FoR’s sit-on-top kayaks. The group ending the day with refreshing drinks at at FoR’s boathouse. Thank you to our partners at Friends of the Rappahannock for making this trip happen!

Keep Virginia Cozy – Litter Cleanup on the James River

One of VCN’s newest partners, Keep Virginia Cozy, led a litter cleanup on the shores of the James in downtown Richmond. It was a perfect trip to get outside, relax, and mingle all while clearing our capital’s urban river of litter – volunteers removed almost 40 pounds of waste! Thanks to everyone who made it out to clean our waterways!

Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center – Behind the Scenes Tour of the Darden Marine Animal Conservation Center

The Virginia Aquarium gave a behind-the-scenes tour of their new Darden Marine Animal Conservation Center, a support facility for the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center which is normally closed to the public. The new Darden Center opened in May 2021 and houses aquatic animal collections and research and conservation programs, including the Aquarium’s award-winning marine animal Stranding Response Program. Attendees got a glimpse of the new facility’s highlights, including an internal seawater processing system, specialized animal care and quarantine systems, stranded animal treatment and rehabilitation areas, research laboratories, and office and technical support spaces for specialized professional staff. Thank you to our partners at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, especially Mark Swingle, for making this trip happen!

Wildlife Center of Virginia – Tour & Drinks

Attendees spent a beautiful day in the valley of Virginia visiting the education animal corner which includes brand new housing for three of their education birds! Buddy the Bald eagle and the rest of the gang met with VCN and our Partners met the famous “Buddy” the Bald Eagle as well as 3 falcons, several hawks, and multiple owls. To everyone’s dismay, the wildlife did not get invited to the group happy hour at Stable Craft Brewery, where attendees also toured the “green” farm-brewery after the tour of the Wildlife Center.