CONSERVATION NEWS ACROSS VIRGINIA
Mary Rafferty: Protecting and enhancing Virginia’s natural resources
VCN’s own Mary Rafferty is featured in the Richmond Times Dispatch laying out a pathway for the Northam administration to ensure his 2020-22 budget reflects Virginia's shared priorities to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, protect our landscapes, and enhance our agencies. ...Virginia ranks 47th in budgeting for the protection and enhancement of our natural resources, less than 1% of the general fund. This lack of investment is particularly concerning in light of the many environmental rollbacks and budget cuts from [...]
Northam Releases EO6 Report to Enhance DEQ
Virginia’s Secretary of Natural Resources released their report on commitments to enhance Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) under Gov. Northam’s Executive Order 6, issued in April 2018. EO6 was was released by the Governor last year. It looked to get immediate feedback on ways to strengthen policies at the agency in light of some of the worst environmental rollbacks we’ve seen at the federal level. In addition, the EO looked to identify ways to increase communications and public engagement [...]
VCN, Virginia Transit Association Conclude Summer of Listening Sessions
Over the course of the summer, VCN partnered with the Virginia Transit Association to host community listening sessions throughout the Commonwealth to find out how public transportation could be improved. The six sessions were hosted by Jay Fisette, former chair of the Arlington County Board, and covered a wealth of local transportation-related issues. “I was very pleased with the diversity of the groups that we had at the sessions, it really felt like we had a great representative community,” said [...]
Join us in Richmond for the 2019 Virginia Environmental Assembly
The Virginia Environmental Assembly brings together conservation leaders from across the Commonwealth to discuss our Common Agenda to protect Virginia’s natural resources. This annual conference is hosted by Virginia Conservation Network, the partnership of more than 100 Virginia environmental organizations. Each year, this conference is hosted in a different region of the state to highlight Virginia’s distinct natural resources. This year we are excited to bring the conference to Richmond for the first time in nearly a decade as we [...]
VCN Releases Our Common Agenda: 2020 Environmental Briefing Book
The Virginia Conservation Network (VCN) has now released Our Common Agenda - the 2020 Environmental Briefing Book. Our Common Agenda is written by VCN’s partners - Virginia’s top conservation advocates. Published annually, it showcases the environmental community’s collective state-level policy priorities in the coming year. This book displays the breadth of conservation issues facing Virginians, along with proposed policy solutions to these environmental challenges. This year’s book covers a range of important topics including: Restoring our rivers and streams to [...]
Local Advocates Celebrate Uranium Ban Win at Supreme Court
Supreme Court justices agreed the Commonwealth has the right to uphold the moratorium on uranium mining. This win is not only thanks to smart legal minds but most importantly to the incredible work by local community members over the decades.