Water-related legislation in the General Assembly
Virginia Water Radio’s recent episode How Would You Vote on Water-related Bills in the 2023 Virginia General Assembly? is a five-minute primer on what’s been happening in the GA related to water.
NNSWCD Producer Conference
The Northern Neck Soil and Water Conservation District is holding the Producer Conference Thursday, March 16, 8:00-10:00 am at the Westmoreland Volunteer Fire Department (52 Rectory Rd, Montross). Attendees will hear about a variety of topics including cost-share updates from NNSWCD and farm use tags from the Virginia Farm Bureau’s Zach Jacobs. (On the subject of Ag Road tags, you might want to read Agriculture Road Law Fact Sheet from Virginia Cooperative Extension.)
All producers and growers on the NNK are encourated to attend this free event. RSVP to Kelly Brann by March 6; (804) 313-9102 x105 or kelly.brann@nnswcd.org.
Celebrating the Legacy of Black Environmental and Climate Justice Activists
Baltimore Green Justice Workers Cooperative is celebrating activists during this free online event Wednesday, February 22, 10:00 am-Noon. Virginia activists Queen Zakia Shabazz and Karen T. Campblin are among the confirmed speakers. Learn more and register for the event.
Virginia Land and Energy Navigator aids in informed decision-making
“The Virginia Land and Energy Navigator (VaLEN) is now available for public use. VaLEN brings together GIS information related to prime farm and forestland, conserved lands, brownfields and mined lands, transmission lines, and other topics to support land use planning and decision-making at the local level. VaLEN enables users to cross reference GIS layers with multiple themes and has a zoom feature that allows users to look at the highest resolution available, up to parcel scale.” (DEQ, February 6, 2023 newsletter)
Brown Bag Webinar: Spotted Lanternfly Egg Mass Survey Training
This Tuesday, February 21 free online training kicks off National Invasive Species Awareness Week 2023. This event is sponsored by Blue Ridge PRISM and features Virginia Department of Forestry staff.
According to the event registration,
The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect that was discovered in Virginia in 2018, and has the potential to cause significant economic and ecological impacts. Help us monitor its spread by looking for egg masses in high-risk areas. This training will cover the biology and identification of the spotted lanternfly, its current distribution, how and where to conduct egg mass surveys, and how to record data.