Policy on the #NNK

Celebrating First Day outside is a great way to start the year. State parks and other public spaces provide a wide range of outdoor activities. And don’t forget small, local town parks. Belle Isle State Park (1632 Belle Isle Rd, Lancaster) Explore Belle Isle : Information about the myriad activities available at the park are available from the camp store. Activities include park pack adventures, biking, hiking and picture taking, and boating (in season). First Day Hike , 9:00-11:00 am: “Celebrate the new year with friends, family and furry companions at Belle Isle State Park’s First Day Hike. We will take a leisurely walk on the wooded Camp Spur and White Oak Swamp Trails while we think about our intentions for 2024. Join us after the hike for light refreshments, a cozy campfire and personal goal setting ceremony. Parking fees are waived on January 1st!” First Day Hike - The Quiet One , 1:00-2:00 pm: “Our second First Day Hike is a little more on the quiet side for an...

There’s a new sub-reddit: r/NNK_Life . Sub is for those who live, visit, and/or love the Northern Neck, Virginia, USA. Talk about wildlife, boat hacks, fishing wisdom, local topics, beautiful sunsets, waterman stories, seafood, kayaking, whatever, as long as it is inclusive of our members and doesn’t divide our audience. Leave religion, and politics for another social group. There are plenty of places for that dialog. thanks and enjoy our community :) To post and comment, you’ll need a Reddit account and will have to join the sub.

Chesapeake Legal Alliance (CLA) has filed a petition for rulemaking to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to save menhaden and the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. CLA worked with a number of fishing and conservation groups on the petition which “lays out the blueprint for ‘how’ and ‘why’ the agency should be acting.” (Source: Press Release: CLA Files Petition for Rulemaking to Save Menhaden and Bay Ecosystem ) The 42-page petition, available online at CLA Files Petition for Rulemaking in Menhaden Case , sets forth a robust description of the current situation as well as specific recommendations to address this dire situation. VMRC has noticed the petition . The notice identifies five requests by the petitioners Chesapeake Legal Alliance (David Reed) and Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization: Enact a moratorium in the Bay: Set a precautionary moratorium on purse seine landings by the menhaden reduction fleet within the Chesapeake Bay. Require no less than...

Paid internships with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are a great way for college students to explore potential career paths. Our summer interns work with NOAA experts for roughly 12 weeks during the summer. They contribute to NOAA’s mission, gain valuable experience, boost their resumes, and try out a potential science career. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office is teaming up with the Chesapeake Research Consortium to offer five Chesapeake-focused internships through two separate internship programs in summer 2024. These paid internships will run from mid-May through mid-August. Applications are due by January 28, 2024. The Ches Bay opportunities are Fish Ecology Intern, Environmental Literacy—Workgroup Intern, Field Technician Intern, Environmental Literacy—Climate Intern, and Partnerships and Engagement Intern. The Partnerships and Engagement Intern has a local focus. This intern will collaborate with organizations in the Choptank Habitat Focus Area on M...

Introduced by R. Lee Ware (chief patron): HB 19 Atlantic menhaden; VIMS, et al., to study ecology, fishery impacts, and economic importance. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Marine Resources Commission; study of ecology, fishery impacts, and economic importance of Atlantic menhaden; report. Directs the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in collaboration with the Marine Resources Commission and certain stakeholders, as provided in the bill, to conduct a three-year study of the ecology, fishery impacts, and economic importance of the Atlantic menhaden population in the waters of the Commonwealth. The bill requires VIMS to provide a report on its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources no later than October 1, 2027. Virginia Mercury ’s Charlie Paullin covered the prev...

The Department of Environmental Quality is accepting comments on Virginia’s Draft Chesapeake Bay 2024-2025 Milestones. Comments are due December 19 . According to the public notice , Virginia is committed to setting and working towards two-year Milestones to improve water quality in accordance with the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). These milestones are part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) accountability framework designed to ensure that the nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment allocations of the TMDL will be met. All the documents and information about submitting comments are on Virginia Townhall website, link above. DEQ states that the draft milestones “will be submitted to EPA no later than January 16, 2024 and will be available on DEQ’s Chesapeake Bay Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Milestones webpage .” Photo: Gordon Leggett / Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

TSR (Tropical Storm Risk) predicts the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season will be “very active with activity about 30% above the 1991-2020 30-year norm and around 50% above the long-term 1950-2023 norm.” (source: email announcing forecast) According to the forecast summary, page 1 of Extended Range Forecast for North Atlantic Hurricane Activity in 2024 (PDF): This forecast has high uncertainty due to uncertainty in how warm the Atlantic and Caribbean Sea sea surface temperatures will be in August-September 2024 and by how much this will influence the strength of the Caribbean trade winds. The organization’s specific forecast is shown in the image below. TSR’s forecast update for the 2024 North Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be made Monday April 8, 2024. Sign up for TSR Alerts and Seasonal Forecasts .

Virginia Mercury has reported the proposed addition of 12 plants to the state’s noxious weeds list. Learn all about it: “Virginia proposes adding 12 plants, including kudzu, to noxious weeds list” . Of the 12, nine have been found on the NNK: Two-horned trapa, garlic mustard, Chinese yam, autumn olive, bicolor lespedeza, Japanese honeysuckle, common reed, kudzu, and Japanese knotweed. The Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora contains a range of information including native status, common name, and habitat. The site also indicates where in the state the plant has been seen.

The Department of Environmental Quality seeks community input on ways to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas air emissions. There are several ways to share your ideas: Tuesday, January 9 , 6:00-7:30 pm: Virtual Community Meeting ( register ) Email questions/comments by January 31: CPRG@deq.virginia.gov Community Input on Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions in Virginia survey DEQ will use community feedback to create a short-term priority action plan which includes projects that would then compete for part of a $4.3 billion EPA implementation fund. Visit Climate Pollution Reduction Grant for grant process updates.

Join the PFAS Lunch & Learn Tuesday, December 12 at Noon to learn about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), toxic chemicals, pose significant risks to human health and the environment. Sponsors Potomac Riverkeeper Network, Rockbridge Conservation, Southern Environmental Law Center, Virginia Conservation Network, and Wild Virginia have put together a panel of scientific and environmental policy experts to answer specific questions about these forever chemicals in Virginia. Panelists will also discuss what can be done to prevent further contamination while protecting public health. Register for this free event .

Lancaster County’s Wetlands Board meets Thursday, December 14 at 9:30 am (Board of Supervisors Meeting Room, Lancaster County Administration Building, 8311 Mary Ball Road, Lancaster). Read the agenda . Read the packet (PDF) (189 pp). One item on the agenda is a mailing to new waterfront property owners about the responsibilities of owning waterfront property. Read the Riparian Property Owner Letter (PDF) and the Riparian Property Owners Brochure (PDF). The brochure is a decent primer on responsibly living on the water, summarizing RPA (Resource Protection Area), general wetlands and waterfront guidelines, and riparian buffers. With several modifications, the brochure could be significantly better. Suggested mods include a new design (with no or little reverse printing, for example) and tightened-up content.

As of December 1, three pieces of legislation have been prefiled: SJ 4 Commending the Westmoreland Volunteer Fire Department. , introduced by Senator-elect Richard H. Stuart (R-25) SJ 7 Celebrating the life of Granville Edison Fisher, Jr. , introduced by Senator-elect Richard H. Stuart (R-25) SJ 8 Celebrating the life of Ronald Lee Jett. , introduced by Senator-elect Richard H. Stuart (R-25)

Preservation Virginia seeks nominations for the most endangered historic places in the state. The deadline for submitting one or more properties is January 5, 2024. Nominate properties online . According to Preservation Virginia , The list, which has brought attention to 170 sites in Virginia, encourages individuals, organizations and local and state governments to advocate for their preservation and find solutions that will save these unique locations for future generations. The program has a track record of success. Only 10% of the sites listed so far were lost to demolition or neglect. This year’s program reflects some of the most pressing issues impacting historic places in Virginia and the nation, including threats from inequality, climate change and flooding, large-scale industrial development, lack of stewardship and changes in urban planning to accommodate increased housing needs. Partnerships are needed on local, state and federal levels to find adaptive, collaborat...

The governor has announced $14.7 million in land conservation grants to protect 55,575 acres statewide. The Northern Neck is represented by two grants, one in Richmond County and one in Westmoreland County. Together, the NNK projects account for 1,284 acres and $2,301,166. Richmond County Requesting organization Rappahannock Tribe of Virginia Project name: Acquiring Rappahannock Tribe's Ancestral Homelands Phase III Acquisition of 964 acres on the Rappahannock River at Fones Cliffs, the ancestral homelands of the Rappahannock Tribe. The site, adjacent to property owned by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, contains a mile of frontage on the river. Amount: $1,716,166 Categories: Historic Preservation, Forestland Preservation Westmoreland County Requesting organization The Trust for Public Land Project name: Lower Potomac River Corridor Conservation easements on 320 acres of farmland along the Potomac River and Popes Creek. These conserved farms will be connected t...

Earlier this week, public radio station WHRO published the story Virginia is starting to take on hundreds of boats abandoned in local waterways . It’s a comprehensive explainer on the status of abandoned and derelict vessels in the state. Included in the story is the map (below) created by the state level Abandoned & Derelict Vessels Work Group based on reports from the public. Notice the number of boats on the Northern Neck. That’s more than the nonprofit Lynnhaven River NOW proposed to remove with their federal funding. (Read Public comment sought on abandoned and derelict boat removals in Westmoreland and Lancaster counties ) Lynnhaven NOW proposed removals in two locations, five vessels at Kinsale Harbor Marina on the Yeocomico River (Westmoreland County) and one vessel at Carters Cove Marina on Carters Cove, Rappahannock River (Lancaster County). Want to report a boat? Go to Inventory of Abandoned and Derelict Vessels in Virginia .

You may have seen the news from VIMS (Virginia Institute of Marine Science) in October, An “off” year for juvenile striped bass in Virginia waters for 2023 . The key takeaway: “The 2023 value [4.26] is significantly lower than the historic average of 7.77 fish per seine haul and is a notable decrease in annual recruitment compared with recent years in which catches of striped bass were rated average or above average.” The data matter: “Striped bass play an important role as a top predator in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and are a valuable resource for commercial and recreational anglers.” The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) seeks comments from the public on Draft Addendum II to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass (PDF). The deadline for comments is December 22. Learn more and comment .

The Potomac River Fisheries Commission ’s Finfish Advisory Committee meets Thursday, November 16 at 6:00 pm in Colonial Beach; the meeting will also be streamed live online. The press release and agenda are on the meeting calendar page . Details about participating remotely are in the release. The agenda includes an update on the status of Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) striped bass and American eel ( Anguilla rostrata ) issues (see October 2023 status of the stocks report (PDF)); 2024 commercial and recreational season, size, and possession limits; and the discussion of a small mesh gill net study.

Don’t let the name of the org distract you: The Urban Waters Learning Network ’s Building Water Equity and Climate Resilient Communities for ALL can offer the Northern Neck a great deal. The six-part series is highlighting “a variety of strategies that community-based organizations can use to help their communities anticipate, prepare for and respond to climate risks such as flooding, coastal storms and drought, with a focus on protecting community members who are most vulnerable to climate threats.” What kinds of organizations should participate? The gamut of organizational types and interests are required to plan for, take action during, and recover from climate risks. Nonprofit organizations of all kinds—including houses of worship, service organizations, social clubs—as well as for-profit businesses, informal organizations, and neighborhood groups each have a role to play. Think those which serve/work with the oldest and the youngest those which meet basic needs such as...

History professor Heather Cox Richardson’s November 2 edition of Letters from an American compares President Biden’s appeal to rural voters to anticipated actions of House Republicans on SNAP by the end of the year. Richardson writes, In contrast to Biden’s outreach to farmers, House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is facing a dilemma over the nation’s next farm bill, which must be passed by the end of the year. According to Clark Merrefield of The Journalist’s Resource, Congress usually debates and renews the farm bill every five years, and the last one passed in 2018. Farm bills include price support for farm products, especially corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice, peanuts, dairy, and sugar. It also includes crop insurance, conservation programs, and a wide variety of other agricultural programs, making the farm bill hugely popular in rural areas that focus on farming. Also included in the measure are nutritional programs for low-income Americans, such as the Supplemental Nutr...

If you read one thing today, make it Oyster fight: The humble sea creature could hold the key to restoring coastal waters. Developers hate it. Revitalizing oyster farms and wild oyster reefs could undo decades of environmental destruction on our coasts . It’s not as though nothing is being done to use oysters to fight damage to the environment. One only has to read Northumberland County is part of world’s largest oyster habitat restoration project to get a taste of what is happening on the Northern Neck. But more can be done. More can always be done. So, talk with your friends and local elected and appointed officials. Communicate with state and federal officials. And take action. Join CCA’s reef ball building efforts (see Join in on the fun: Reef ball building in Irvington ), plant natives (read Native plants = good for flora and fauna ), and plant trees/call for more trees to be planted on the NNK (read Net loss of treed acres on NNK contributes to region and Virginia goi...

The Northumberland County Public Schools SY 2024-2025 budget process is underway. The public is encouraged to answer a few questions in a short survey . Input may also be given via email . The deadline is November 1.

The Great Wicomico River in Northumberland County is one of the 10 rivers in the Chesapeake Bay region to be part of the oyster habitat restoration described by NOAA as “world’s largest oyster restoration project.” Writes NOAA, The 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement , which guides the work of the Chesapeake Bay Program, calls for state and federal partners to “restore native oyster habitat and populations in 10 Bay tributaries by 2025, and ensure their protection” (hereafter, “Ten Tributaries initiative”). Five tributaries are being restored in Maryland and five in Virginia. So why the Great Wicomico River? The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) found it had attributes which would make habitat restoration possible. In Habitat suitability index and performance of USACE sanctuary reefs in the Great Wicomico River (15 May 2013) (PDF), USACE explains: In 2004, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and other federal a...

Coastal Conservation Association Virginia is launching a Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula chapter! The kickoff event is Wednesday, November 8 , 7:00-8:30 pm at ReFuel Cafe (73 Seafood Ln, Irvington). CCA Virginia invites like-minded water enthusiasts―anglers, water sportists, conservationists, etc.―to gather to launch the newest chapter. There will be fun, roasted local oysters, some planning, and door prices. Questions? Ask using the online form or call 800-201-FISH (3473).

The Northumberland County Board of Supervisors is holding their regular monthly meeting as well as public hearing on two applications Thursday, November 9 . The meeting starts at 5:30 pm and the hearing at 7:00 pm. Both take place at the new courthouse (220 Judicial Pl., Heathsville). The public may watch and/or participate in person or virtually. Instructions to participate via Zoom will be posted on the supes meeting calendar item in advance of the events. The regular meeting agenda and supporting documents will be posted on BoardDocs . Read the November 9 applications to be reviewed at the hearing. The apps to be heard November 9 are: Request by Charles W. & Christiane P. Jacobs, owners for a Conditional Use Permit to allow a vacation home rental on property zoned R-3, Residential Restricted. The property is shown as Tax Map Parcel # 45-B(3)20-6 and is located at 85 Leming Avenue. Request by Neil Office Complex, owner, and Jack Knapp, applicant, for a Condition...

Preparing Our Workforce: The Evolving Role of Community Colleges is an upcoming program from The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The event takes place Wednesday, November 15 , 5:30 - 7:00 pm in person and virtually. Registration is required. At this event, attendees will learn about the ways students are prepared for success, where community colleges fit into the post-secondary landscape, how formula-based funding impacts individual and institutional decisions, and more.

Pursuing a Resilient Virginia (PDF) presents resilient community attributes, resilience plans across the state, and ways to improve community and regional resilience. The purpose is to help localities plan for the future. According to the Coastal Resilience Database , there are two resilience projects on the Northern Neck: Town of Colonial Beach - North Beach Resilience Project in Westmoreland County and Westland Beach - Windmill Point Shoreline Stabilization Project in Lancaster County. The details of the Colonial Beach project via the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Virginia Coastal Reslience Web Explorer: It is anticipated that a combination of (1) seaward breakwaters with sand replenishment and (2) in-shore levees, retaining walls and/or dunes will be installed, with the exact structures utilized to be determined upon the completion of the comprehensive environmental assessment. The project will reduce shoreline erosion, reclaim beach area and miti...

The Lancaster County Planning Commission meets Thursday, October 19 at 7:00 pm at the Lancaster County Administration Building (8311 Mary Ball Rd., Lancaster) in the Board of Supervisors Meeting Room. The public may attend/participate in person or remotely and information about attending virtually and commenting is online, Planning Commission Public Hearing Schedule . There are five items on the agenda , including three hearings: 1) application for change of zoning district classification, 2) rezoning request from C-2 to C-1, and 3) proposed amendments to the Lancaster County Land Development Code. There will also be a discussion of the county’s noise ordinance. For those interested in the hearing topics or the discussion item, be sure to read the minutes from the September meeting.

Wetlands Watch’s Catch the King relies on volunteers to track the highest predicted tides of the year in southeast Virginia. The Perigean Spring Tides , aka King Tide , in late October happens when the moon, earth, sun, and fall full/new moons are aligned in this part of the state. Volunteer citizen scientists will add their data to that King Tide data collected over the past few years; prior year data collection locations are shown in the image below. Learn more and sign up to volunteer . Why volunteer As is shown in the video Catch the King Citizen Scientists by WHRO Public Media, people of all ages volunteer to identify flooding. As several people mention, the data helps the government take action to improve stormwater runoff systems, protect communities from sea level rise and flooding, and increase/improve resilience. From a volunteer perspective, participating makes people feel like they are making a difference in and for their community. How can the data be use...

The Center for Biological Diversity is hosting an environmental and reproductive health film and webinar series October 5 to November 2 . The series is a follow-up to the Center’s 2022 report The Influence of Environmental Toxicity, Inequity and Capitalism on Reproductive Health . The upcoming films and webinars take place: A Silent Transformation — Film viewing Oct. 5 to 12, webinar Oct. 12. The modern economy increasingly denies people basic amenities to give them a decent life. This documentary shows how the cooperative model is as critical as ever. Children of the Vine — Film viewing Oct. 12 to 19, webinar Oct. 19. This film is an unsettling investigation into the controversial herbicide Roundup and how it harms public health. We the Guinea Pigs — Film viewing Oct. 19 to 26, webinar Oct. 26. As plastic has become increasingly common throughout our lives, this film finds there’s also an inexplicable increase in the number of diseases and disorders in people, from breast cance...

A Wild Virginia Town Hall to Discuss PFAS takes place Tuesday, October 10 at 7:00 pm; the event is free. Registration is required. The hour-long event will share ways individuals, organizations, and governments can work to protect waters and communities from these dangerous “forever chemicals.” What are PFAS and what do we know about them? Wild Virginia does a solid job explaining PFAS in Preventing PFAS Pollution , writing: Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are toxic, synthetic chemicals that are present throughout Virginia in the air, water, and soil. They linger in the environment and build up in organisms, taking so long to break down they have earned the name forever chemicals, leading to widespread contamination and long-lasting risk of exposure. The Wild Virginia explanation includes examples of where PFAS are found—nonstick cookware and candy wrappers, for example—and an easy-to-understand and -follow graphic about the lifecycle of PFAS created by the S...

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) is accepting public comments on application number 2023045 to use .68 acres of oyster planting ground in Lower Machodoc Creek in Hague, Westmoreland County. Details about the app are on Oyster Ground Private Leases Applications . To submit comments on the application, send them to Marine Resources Commission, Engineering/ Surveying Department, 380 Fenwick Road, Fort Monroe, VA 23651-106. Comments are due November 3.

Governor Youngkin has proclaimed October 2023 Virginia Wine Month ; this is the 35th consecutive year for the designation. Virginia Wine , the wine industry association, is, obviously, all-in on wine produced in the Commonwealth and serves up ideas and information. On the idea side is Harvest Party , “Virginia’s Home-Grown Holiday,” Saturday, October 21. Wineries are present across the Northern Neck; find out what’s what this month to participate in the festivities and support local businesses: Northern Neck National Heritage Area Northumberland County, VA | Do. Stay. Eat. Lancaster by the Bay Chamber of Commerce Virginia's River Realm Virginia.org Don’t drink and drive.