Every year, Virginia Conservation Network staff visit a new region of Virginia for a staff retreat. While bonding and relaxing in a beautiful area of Virginia is certainly a highlight, we visit these regions intentionally to learn about the area’s local environmental issues and to connect with regional partners on their turf.

We headed north last year to visit Alexandria and south the year prior to visit Danville. This year, we headed southeast to enjoy some outdoor recreation in Norfolk and Virginia Beach and learn more about some of the key work of our VCN Partners. See the fun (and learning experiences!) below.

The VCN team first visited the Elizabeth River Project to learn about their Ryan Resilience Lab. We learned about the facility’s green building practices that strengthen its resilience to sea-level rise and climate change.

Our next visit was the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center. After a tour of the building’s sustainable designs, we enjoyed a sunset boat ride led by CBF staff. VCN staff learned about CBF’s oyster restoration efforts and saw some of Virginia’s native aquatic species up close, even releasing crabs from a crab pot that had terrapin excluders.

The next day, staff met with Virginia Beach’s Public Works to learn about the Bow Creek Stormwater Project. Joined alongside VCN Board Member Karen Forget, staff visited the construction site to see how the project will mitigate flooding impacts for nearby neighborhoods.

Throughout our visit, staff enjoyed local food and fun while dining out and catching up with VCN Partners in the area. On our last day, we made the most of the warm weather with a kayak paddle through the Back and North Bays, enjoying the natural scenery and local wildlife.