On Saturday, December 7, more than 350 members of Virginia’s conservation community convened in multiple locations across the Commonwealth for a preview of what’s in store for our natural resources and landscapes in the 2020 General Assembly session.
Continuing with VCN’s commitment to making its events as accessible as possible for advocates across the state, the organization’s Network Partners hosted nine watch parties in addition to hosting the in-person event in Richmond.
Combined, these watch parties and the in-person event in Richmond engaged more than 350 advocates across the Commonwealth, making this the highest attended General Assembly Preview in our network’s history.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
NINE Watch Parties Across Virginia Tuned In
A record number of watch parties were hosted across the Commonwealth this year and accounted for more than two-thirds of the event’s attendance. Watch parties were hosted by the following organizations:
- Alexandria hosted by Chesapeake Bay Foundation
- Charlottesville hosted by Piedmont Environmental Council and Wild Virginia
- Fredericksburg hosted by Virginia League of Conservation Voters
- Hampton Roads hosted by Lynnhaven River NOW
- Harrisonburg hosted by the Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley
- Radford hosted by Virginia Council of Trout Unlimited
- Reston hosted by the Great Falls Group of Sierra Club Virginia Chapter and Choose Clean Water Coalition
- Roanoke hosted by the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy, Roanoke Group of Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, and Unitarian Universalist Church of Roanoke
- Warrenton hosted by Piedmont Environmental Council
CLIMATE, BUDGET, plastics, and toxics HIGHLIGHTED
Each year, this event provides Virginians with a snapshot of statewide conservation priorities that have the potential to see substantial movement in the 2020 legislative session. This year, experts highlighted the need for taking bold action on climate, securing funding in the budget for our conservation priorities, reducing plastic pollution and toxics in our waterways, and much more!
The agenda also included a panel of experts to cover what legislation we expect regarding transportation funding, Dominion Energy accountability, creating wildlife corridors, and protecting our coasts from offshore drilling.
Click here for a full list of VCN’s policy priorities.
SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS
We owe a very special thank you to our regional partners for leading the coordination of the nine watch parties. Without their leadership, this event would have not been possible. We are very grateful to have been able to work with them over these past few months to ensure this event’s statewide success.