Policy on the #NNK

Ecologist Amanda Gallinat, PhD will talk climate change as it relates to migrating birds at the Northern Neck of Virginia Chapter of the National Audubon Society-sponsored event Monday, October 4 at 7:00 pm via Zoom. Dr. Gallinat is postdoc with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an ecologist with the USA Phenology Network. (Phenology is the study of seasonal and cyclic natural phenomena among plants and animals.) According to the announcement in the September 23 Rapp Record , "Dr. Gallinat's research focuses on how environmental change affects plants, birds, and their interactions. Her work incorporates current research and historical data such as the actual field notes of Henry David Thoreau, long-term bird banding records, museum specimens and field observations." One of Dr. Gallinat's interests is birds and fruit and she writes on her website , "Compared to spring events, autumn events have received little attention in climate change and phenolog...

Bold Dominion investigates the status of environmental laws and policy in the state in the podcast So what's the state of Virginia's environmental laws? . The summary: Here in Virginia, many of us have been shielded from the worst effects of climate change. So far. But we know - or we should know - that the planet is burning. And that without major policy changes, it's going to get much worse. And so much human suffering could follow. So what's a state to do? What policies can Virginia enact? After all, this is a global issue, and the operations of one mid-sized state can feel rather small in the grand scheme of things. For many years, Virginia's answer was 'not much.' The state wasn't doing a whole lot to address the root issues around climate change. But with Democratic majorities in the General Assembly for the last two years, that has started to shift. Lawmakers and activists are championing the fight to keep our planet fit for human habita...

The Virginia Water Monitoring Council (VWMC) is a one-stop shop for water-related environmental issues. The group aggregates and shares information specific to Virginia and provides important links to data and references. Learn more and sign up . The Virginia Conservation Network is holding free webinars on their book Our Common Agenda . The agenda represents "the policy agenda of more than 150 organizations across the Commonwealth. This book provides an in-depth analysis of the conservation issues facing Virginia and provides practical, state-level policy solutions to keep us moving in the right direction." Each webinar focuses on a chapter in the agenda. Learn more and register . Virginia’s Landscapes -- September 21, Noon to 1:00 pm Healthy Chesapeake Bay, Rivers, & Creeks -- September 28, Noon to 1:00 pm Resilient Communities -- October 6, Noon to 1:00 pm Transportation -- October 7, Noon to 1:00 pm Clean Energy Development -- October 15, Noon to 1:00 pm Uti...

From Register to vote by October 12th, and make sure your vote is counted this fall! : On November 2nd, Virginia will elect a Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, House of Delegates, and local officials. These people have a huge impact on your life, so make sure you register and vote! To vote in this election, you must register to vote by October 12th. You can register, update your registration, and check your registration here . Early voting runs from September 17th until October 30th, and takes place at local voter registration offices in each of Virginia’s counties and independent cities. Counties may offer additional early voting locations - check their websites for details. If you prefer to vote on Election Day, November 2nd, polls are open from 6am to 7pm, and you can find your polling location here . You can request an absentee ballot here if you wish to vote by mail for any reason. Ballots must be received by November 2nd to be counted, so send yours back as soon...

The Virginia Department of Health has launched QR codes, another way to show your vaccine status. To get the QR code, go to VDH Search for your Vaccination Record . You can download the code and store on your phone or print out. From the r/Virginia post VDH launches QR codes, which can be scanned to verify vaccine status , The QR codes are digitally signed by VDH, so they can't be forged unless VDH leaks their signing credentials. The way these are supposed to work is that a scanner reads the code, verifies the digital signature, and displays your name and DOB. The person with the scanner looks at your photo ID, verifies your name and DOB matches and that you look like your photo. Should your employer or a local business require vaccines to work/enter, you can show them your QR code. Photo from Pexels .

This event takes place Tuesday, September 21 at 2:00 pm . Redistricting Data, P.L. 94-171, are publicly available at data.census.gov . The data is for all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and is down to the census block level. The webinar will walk participants through a live demo of navigating the data.census.gov platform to access and download 2020 Census redistricting data. Learn more and register .

It's not too late for families to obtain the full Advance Child Tax Credit this year. Some low-income families may not be aware of this benefit because, unlike in prior years, a parent does not need to have income to obtain the credit for 2021 (advance or otherwise). The total child tax credit amount is $3,000 per older child (aged 6-17) and $3,600 per younger child (age 5 and younger). The advance portion of the credit is half of that, with the balance paid in a tax refund next year. For example, a parent with two children who will be 6-17 or under at the end of this year can still get $3,000 in advance payments between now and the end of the year ($3,600 if the two children will be 5 or under at the end of the year)! But there is an October 15, 2021 deadline for using the new, easy-to-use GetCTC site ( Español ) (a partnership between Code for America, the White House, and the US Department of Treasury) and the IRS non-filer portal to sign up for the advance payments...

Data for Better Lives: A New Social Contract is based on the World Bank Group's World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives . The report makes the case for data for good. They write, Data is a powerful weapon in the fight against poverty—one that can potentially transform the lives of poor people. But it's also a double-edged sword. New rules of the road are called for—a social contract for data—to get more value out of data while protecting people against harm and ensuring access and representation. The six-week course will allow participants to greatly deepen their knowledge of how data can be used for advancing development outcomes. From October 6 to November 16, the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) will offer participants a chance to learn from World Bank economists and will also include interactive live sessions. The course will address questions such as: How can data better advance development objectives? What kind of data governance arrangements are need...

The Virginia Redistricting Commission is holding a full commission meeting Monday, September 13 at 1:00 pm . Members of the public may offer comments virtually; register online by Monday, September 13 at 10:00 am. The public may also email comments to the commission using varedist@dls.virginia.gov , submit comments online , submit comments online related to specific plans , and add communities of interest online . UPDATE SEPT 12: Update from the Co-Chairs ( https://virginiaredistricting.org/ ) "First, thank you to all who have participated in this process thus far. Your comments have informed many of our decisions and will continue to guide us as we complete our work. As we have done throughout this process, we have spent some time assessing where we are and what is ahead, and with the guidance of our legal counsel, have determined the Commission will be shifting gears as we reach the halfway mark. Instead of presenting draft maps of the Eastern Virginia and Hampton...

YCLI is a unique opportunity for 9th-12th graders to receive experience and engage in networking opportunities to prepare them for future education and career paths. Applications are being accepted for the Youth Conservation Leadership Institute (YCLI) ; the submission deadline is October 1. The Institute, which runs October 2021 to May 2022, is for Virginia high school students (grades 9-12) interested in environmental conservation and stewardship. The Institute focuses on volunteer service, environmental stewardship, leadership and connecting students with environmental issues in their local communities, and provides an opportunity to build leadership skills and connect with local mentors involved with environmental issues. Past YCLI projects include building birdhouses for Warblers, teaching elementary students about watersheds, developing and installing trail signage, and stormwater education outreach. Photo by Marta Ortigosa from Pexels

The Northumberland County Economic Development Commission is supporting and promoting local businesses in the tourism realm with the Do. Stay. Eat. map . The map contains gift and thrift shops, boat tours, marinas, restaurants and food stores, places to say, museums and historic sites, and more. The commission is committed to improving and maintaining this community asset. An important improvement since the launch is the inclusion of a photo for each map item. Have a correction? Send to Jim Blue, ED of the commission .

The Colonial Beach Town Council is holding a work session Wednesday, September 8 at 6:00 pm . In the email announcing the meeting and sharing the packet, Heather H. Oliver, Town Clerk of the Town of Colonial Beach, wrote: If you are unable to attend would like comments to be read during public comment, please email your comments. We ask that if you attend the meeting to please wear a mask while in attendance. The meeting will be live streamed on YouTube (hopefully with no issues) and audio recorded to be uploaded if needed. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the office. The phone number is (804) 224-7181 should you need to contact the office. The session agenda includes the following items: Emergency Management, Hurricane Preparedness Citizen Input (3 minutes allowed, per citizen) Burn Notice Discussion Resolution #31-21, Accepts VDOF Grant Award (TAB A) PUBLIC HEARING, Resolution #32-21, ARPA Overview and Appropriation (TAB B) Central Drainag...

The 2021 Healthy Aging Symposium , online September 8 and 9 , brings together researchers, local and state health officers, aging directors, policymakers, and advocates to learn and share on the subject of healthy aging. In addition to the keynotes and roundtable speakers, the symposium will include five panels focused on the domains of Healthy People’s social determinants of health framework . As is shown in the illustration below, the five conditions are Economic Stability, Education Access and Quality, Health Care Access and Quality, Neighborhood and Built Environment, and Social and Community Context. Of particular importance to the Northern Neck is the plenary roundtable Innovations in Aging: Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Rural, Frontier, and Tribal Communities taking place Thursday, September 9 at 1:35 pm. Subscribe to Policy on the #NNK

I've been posting fairly regularly on FB ( https://www.facebook.com/policyonnnk ) and thought it was time to start publishing again. What you can expect: Not quite sure yet, but probably the sort of content that has been on Facebook of late. Research intensive posts are not likely in the forseeable future given life happenings. It's good to be back!