A Year in Review: VCN’s 2023 Annual Report
Thanks to highly coordinated efforts and despite political headwinds, VCN — in our role as the strategic facilitator of our 150+ Network Partners — was successful in holding onto major environmental and climate policy successes from the last few years while celebrating historic investments in conservation funding through the budget.
Our Annual Report reviews Virginia Conservation Network’s work from Spring 2022 to Winter 2023. While it feels almost impossible to cover everything we worked on last year in only a few pages, we did our best to squeeze in the highlights, including:
- our strategy to advance conservation initiatives year-round,
- our policy gains and challenges through the General Assembly session and beyond,
- our Network Partner engagement events,
- and more.
As we sent this annual report to the printer, we learned of the tragic loss of our Clean Energy & Climate Justice Policy Manager, Shawn Soares, on May 4th, 2023. Shawn was committed to devoting his career to bettering the Commonwealth and was a rising star in the climate movement. We are dedicating this annual report to him and are committed to working in his honor moving forward.
Read more of our recent updates from our blog:
Catalyzing Virginia’s Wildlife Corridor Policy
Wildlands Network's Misty Boos recently shared her experiences in advancing the adoption of wildlife corridor and crossing policy in Virginia, during her time with both Wild Virginia and Wildlands Network.
Flood Resilience in Appalachia Federal Policy Recommendations
ReImagine Appalachia, Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, and the National Wildlife Federation released their Flood Resilience in Appalachia Federal Policy Recommendations, detailing a four-pillar flood resilience policy roadmap for Appalachia.
Report: State of State Habitat Connectivity Legislation
The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators and Wildlands Network released a report on the progress of U.S. state habitat connectivity legislation over the past 25 years, offering trends, models, and examples for policymakers.
6 Takeaways for the Environment from the Compromise Budget
The General Assembly reconvened for a special session on Monday, May 13th to vote on a bipartisan compromise budget. VCN shares the 6 takeaways on what the negotiated budget did for our environmental priorities.
Kicking Off Our Racial Equity Learning Series
Our Racial Equity Learning Series allows VCN Partners to broaden their knowledge on their racial equity and diversion, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) journey.
Alarming Loss of Virginia’s Tree Canopy
Friends of the Rappahannock's Brent Hunsinger and Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Ann Jurczyk talk about the alarming loss of tree canopy in the region and state and the impact of heat islands in an interview on "Town Talk with Ted Schubel".