Policy on the #NNK

The idea of a Chesapeake National Recreation Area has been around for decades. Over the past year, detailed plans have been developed which bring intentionality in planning, conservation, growth, and public access to the Chesapeake Bay, defined as the Chesapeake Bay itself “and any tidal segment of a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in any State.” With the draft legislation: The National Park Service (NPS) will be permitted to acquire or partner with Burtis House, Whitehall Manor, Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, and the North Beach of Fort Monroe by voluntary sale or donation to serve as the first sites within the CNRA; A CNRA Advisory Commission of local stakeholders will be tasked with advising the NPS on the design and implementation of the CNRA management plan and make recommendations for additional partner sites and property to be added to the CNRA; NPS may only acquire additional lands or property through voluntary donation, purchase from a willing seller, exchange, or trans...

The Department of Environmental Quality is seeking public comment on Shoreline Stabilization Project at Westland Beach, Rappahannock River (Lancaster County). Comments are due December 5 . Email comments to Julia Wellman at Julia.Wellman@deq.virginia.gov . The project, according to DEQ: The Lancaster County Board of Supervisors, et al (the applicant) is proposing to construct a shoreline stabilization project along the Rappahannock River at Westland Beach in Lancaster County. The applicant proposes to stabilize approximately 1,525 feet of eroding shoreline by constructing seven armor stone breakwaters and spurs, installing 18,000 cubic yards of high-quality sand beach nourishment, and planting the proposed upper beach-dune with 42,000 square feet of native beach and wetlands vegetation. The project site consists of three segments: 1) commercial marina, restaurant and pool, 2) county-owned public beach (at the end of Windmill Point Road, state route 695), and 3) private-community ...

Environment Meets Community at Second Baptist Church of South Richmond (also below) tells the story of how the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Second Baptist Church found the sweet spot in environmental work. That spot simultaneously reduces stormwater runoff, builds community, provides access to fresh produce in a food desert, and improves the diet of community members.

The University of Maryland invites the public to participate in the November 15 seminar Chesapeake Reflections: What We’ve Learned During the Past 50 Years and Where We Need to Go in the Future featuring Dr. Walter Boynton, Professor Emeritus at UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory. Dr. Boynton will call on his experience to share examples of estuary degradation and restoration in an effort to inform future work and thinking about the Chesapeake Bay. Images, starting at top left, clockwise: carollei on Pixabay , JIM on Pixabay , and mcfisher on Pixabay

Understanding how the federal and state governments define “disadvantaged communities” is essential if we are actually interested in helping secure investment, designing new infrastructure projects, and shaping accompanying anti-displacement policies and practices so that community members can remain in place once restoration and other kinds of improvement projects have been completed. (tense changed from original) Panelists and community members together will discuss this important topic Thursday, December 8 from 1:00-2:30 pm (ET) in Exploring the Intersections of Environmental Justice and Equitable Development in Infrastructure Investments . The session is designed to be conversational and interactive. Help the panelists prepare by submitting questions in advance.

Learn about dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers in Long Time, No Sea: Bottlenose Dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay , November 8 from 7:00-8:00 pm. Chesapeake DolphinWatch launched its app in 2017 to engage Bay residents and visitors in a research program studying when dolphins visit Chesapeake Bay and where they go. Since then, the DolphinWatch team has gathered incredible information on dolphin presence, distribution, and behavior in our estuary. In this seminar, Project Coordinator Jamie Testa will discuss the research findings from the first 5 years of DolphinWatch, how graduate students at UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory are advancing dolphin research in Chesapeake Bay, and future plans for the research. This lecture is presented as part of UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory’s Science for the Community seminar series. These public programs invite members of the public to discover how our scientists are developing new approaches to solv...

The PRFC's Oyster/Clam Advisory Committee meets Wednesday, November 9 at 6:00 pm in Colonial Beach and virtually. The public is encouraged to listen in and offer comments. The agenda is: Call to Order Review Fall Oyster Survey Discussion of lower cedar point status Discussion on Items for Consideration of Public Hearing License Fee Increases Moving Hand Scrape Line up to Swan Pt and Bluff Pt Discussion of allowing a designee to work on commission meeting days - may only effect Adjourn Participation/calling-in deets are in the FB event post .