Of the 147 bills that Virginia Conservation Network took a position on this session, our Partners supported 12 bills that protect Virginia’s natural lands and wildlife. Our Partners advocated for policies that 

• Restore our diminishing tree coverage
• Reduce invasive species
• Fund critical land conservation and outdoor recreation programs
• Protect native wildlife & habitats

See the wins and missed opportunities for land & wildlife conservation policy below. You can see the outcomes of all of VCN’s policy positions on our Bill Tracker.

Bald Eagle in the Nest Tree at Virginia Beach, Virginia. Photo by Pam Monahan.

Virginia is losing trees at an astounding rate, which limits the state’s ability to provide habitat for wildlife, filter and slow the volume of polluted water runoff into our streams, reduce flooding, reduce air pollution, and ultimately protect human health. Intact forests and urban tree coverage (also referred to as “tree canopy”) is critical to mitigate the impacts from extreme heat events, storms, increased flooding, and pollution. 

Two bills passed this session that will protect urban and suburban tree coverage. These bills will:

• Allow localities to establish a tree fund for builders to pay into if they cannot replace enough trees lost during development so that localities can plant trees in the community (HB2630). 
• Give localities the authority to strengthen tree replacement requirements by establishing higher tree canopy replacement goals (HB2638).

Learn more about the importance of preserving Virginia’s tree canopy and the details of passed legislation on our Bill of the Day post.

Virginia is losing vast tracts of stable and mature forests and ecosystems to invasive species. This loss reduces the state’s capacity to mitigate the impacts of climate change, improve community health, and ensure high-quality air and water. 

The General Assembly passed companion bills HB1941 & SB1166 to help consumers make better informed decisions about their landscaping options. These bills require labeling of invasive plants where they are sold.

“Learning to Fish.” Photo taken in Blacksburg, Virginia by Sara Davis.

Blue catfish are an invasive species introduced into the Chesapeake Bay watershed in the 1970’s and already make up nearly 75% of fish living in some streams and rivers by mass. Blue catfish feed on native species, harming our watershed’s ecological balance and the local fishing economy. Expanding recreational fishing of blue catfish will reduce the predatory pressure on our important aquatic and estuarine species.

The General Assembly passed a bill and accompanying budget item to expand recreational fishing opportunities for the invasive blue catfish (HB2782  and Budget Item 87 #1c).

Mother bear and her cubs attempt to cross the road at Shenandoah National Park.

Legislators missed the opportunity to create a Wildlife Corridor Grant Fund to carry out the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. They also left legislation that would have updated the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan to incorporate wildlife-friendly design in flood resilience infrastructure and identify wildlife-vehicle conflict hotspots statewide. 

The good news is the budget allocates $450,000 to the Department of Wildlife Resources to fund high-priority projects identified in the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan.

You can learn more about the importance of wildlife corridors in our Bill of the Day post.

Girls Who Hike Group at the Old Rag Mountain Summit. Photo by Jenn Loving.

Virginians love our outdoor spaces. In fact, polling shows that over 70% of Virginian voters support additional public spending on our outdoor programs. Virginia Conservation Network pursued popular, bipartisan solutions to:

• Protect places vulnerable to development
• Improve public access to the outdoors
• Invest in a thriving outdoor recreation sector

Legislators defeated the Virginia Great Outdoors Act (HB2059), which would have allocated $230 million annually for our outdoors.

In better news, the budget allocated $20 million to address the $300 million backlog in deferred maintenance at Virginia’s state parks and natural area reserves (Budget Item C-29.30 #c). 

Learn more about policy to fund Virginia’s outdoors on our Bill of the Day post.

Historic Oak Hill. Photo by Hugh Kenny.

We’re losing out on a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create an expansive new state park at Oak Hill, an important historic site that includes the former home of President James Monroe. Legislators rejected a bill to acquire the land for a new state park at Oak Hill, along with a budget amendment for 5 park positions to run operations.

Creating a new state park at Oak Hill was a major missed opportunity because it could have opened to the public with minimal costs from the state. Various sources have already committed $46.35 million, covering the cost of acquiring, opening, and endowing the park’s future needs. The Governor still has the opportunity to put Oak Hill into his budget amendments.

Learn more about policy to support Oak Hill State Park on our Bill of the Day post.

Bills that passed the General Assembly now head to the Governor’s desk for him to sign, amend, or veto bills by March 24th. Legislators will make a final vote on amended bills during Veto Session on April 2nd to determine which bills will officially become law starting on July 1st, 2025. 

Be the first to know about new environmental legislation: register for our virtual General Assembly Recap on Thursday, April 3rd, from 12-1:30 PM. You’ll hear the inside scoop from environmental policy experts about the conservation community’s biggest victories, the missed opportunities, and any surprise outcomes from the 2025 General Assembly session.

See the outcomes of other environmental policies from the 2025 General Assembly session below: