Policy on the #NNK

The opinion piece The battle for menhaden: corporate greed threatens the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia Mercury is receiving a lot of feedback on Reddit: /r/VirginiaEnvironment and /r/Virginia . Photo: Thomas William Smillie , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Did you know there are two open-to-the-public old-growth forests on the Northern Neck? One is Hickory Hollow Natural Area Preserve ( DCR , Old-Growth Forest Network ) in Lancaster County and the other is Voorhees Nature Preserve ( The Nature Conservancy , Old-Growth Forest Network ) in Westmoreland County. There are 12 forests across the state on Old-Growth Forest Network’s list of forests in Virginia . Thanks to the original post on /r/Virginia .

Virginia crab management committee recommends fall, spring catch limit increase summarizes the May 24 meeting at which Virginia’s Marine Resources Commission considered the results of the winter dredge survey and leads with “A state committee on crab management is recommending increases to crab catch limits this fall and next spring but keeping in place the summer reductions instituted last year after surveys found the population had plummeted.” Watch the meeting:

VDOT’s Amy Golden, Land Stewardship Lead in the Office of Transportation Sustainability, presented a useful overview of Virginia Wildlife Corridor Action Plan -- Making Roads Safer for People and Wildlife (PDF) during Wild Virginia’s An Introduction to Virginia’s First Wildlife Corridor Action Plan on May 18. Golden spent the bulk of the time discussing how and why the action plan team framed the plan the way they did, selected the data, and the like. This plan, as to be expected, is the first in what will be an iterative, multi-year process to protect wildlife and people. Deer and bear stood out in the wildlife-vehicle conflicts data, represented by the hot pink lines in the map below, across the state. But as anyone who drives on the Northern Neck knows, crossing turtles present a hazard during the late spring. (Source: Turtles ) Turtles found on the NNK are : Snapping Turtle ( Chelydra serpentina ) Eastern Painted Turtle ( Chrysemys picta picta ) Spotted Turtle...

The Virginia Marine Resource Commission (VMRC) has announced the results of the 2023 Bay-wide Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey (PDF): “The Chesapeake Bay blue crab population is showing encouraging signs of a rebound from recent record lows. . .” According to the release, Although the spawning stock has returned to healthy levels, fisheries managers remain cautious about the continued trend of low juvenile abundance. All categories of blue crab, by sex and by age, have shown increase since the 2022 survey, including the abundance estimate for all crabs in Chesapeake Bay which increased from 227 to 323 million. Adult crabs drove this increase, with adult males nearly doubling and adult females returning to above average levels. According to current biological reference points, female blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring, due to successful management of the bay-wide blue crab fisheries. The dredge survey results inform actions by governmen...

Wild Virginia has organized the May 18 webinar An Introduction to Virginia’s First Wildlife Corridor Action Plan to introduce Virginians to Virginia Wildlife Corridor Action Plan -- Making Roads Safer for People and Wildlife (PDF). VDOT’s Amy Golden, Land Stewardship Lead in the Office of Transportation Sustainability, will discuss the plan. A little about the plan The General Assembly mandated a team made up of Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia Department of Transportation, and the Virginia Department of Forestry develop a plan containing six intentions: Intent #1: Identify wildlife habitat corridors comprised of high quality habitats for priority species and ecosystem health using the best available data; Intent #2: Identify existing or planned human barriers to wildlife movement along such corridors; Intent #3: Identify areas of high risk for wildlife-vehicle conflicts; Intent #4: Prioritize an...

Westmoreland County residents and property owners are encouraged to participate in the household hazardous waste (HHW) spring collection Saturday, May 20, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm . The collection takes place at the A.T. Johnson Human Services Building (18849 Kings Hwy, Montross) in the parking lot, rain or shine. Old household chemicals such as oil-based paint, cleaners, solvents, old or used petroleum products (including mower and boat gas), pool chemicals, pesticides and spent florescent and CFL bulbs are accepted. NOT accepted are electronic items, ammunition, radioactive materials, tires, car batteries, medical waste, and prescription drugs. Direct questions to the Westmoreland County office of Virginia Cooperative Extension: (804) 493-8924.

On May 8, Gov. Youngkin announced “more than $3.2 million in matching grant and sponsorship funds will be awarded to 236 tourism programs as part of the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Regional Marketing, Marketing Leverage, and VA250 Marketing Leverage programs.” (Source: press release ) Combined, NNK organizations have been awarded $129,450; the breakdown by organization is in the table below. Organizations in Lancaster County received $20,950; in Richmond County, $48,500; and in Westmoreland County, $60,000. (Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs)) Want to play with list? Sort it? It's been converted to the spreadsheet Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Regional Marketing, Marketing Leverage, and VA250 Marketing Leverage Grants & Sponsorships (May 2023) .

The Virginia subreddit post about the 2023 primaries is a must read . Highlights: The entire house of delegates and Senate are up for reelection this November. If you want to determine who will be in the general election, make sure to plan to vote in the primary on June 20. If you know someone who is 17 but will be 18 by the November 7, 2023 they can vote in the primary, so let them know to register to vote now or plan to register on election day when they head to the polls. [emphasis added] Get more info and register here . Ignore the registration deadlines; we have same-day now. Check out this helpful article from Cardinal News: "2023 Virginia General Assembly elections: Virginians will be voting based on newly drawn districts for the first time this year, and both parties have the opportunity to win a majority. Primary races kick off as early as May. Learn who is running in your district." And the r/Virginia comment section for that article: https://www.reddi...

The 33rd Annual Environment Virginia Symposium was held in March at VMI. A number of the presentations and videos are available for review, including 2023 Environment Virginia Keynote with Agency Directors of DEQ, DCR, DoF, and DWR , also below. Note that the panel gets into substance at the eight minute mark. To keep everyone on the panel straight, from L-R: Department of Conservation and Recreation, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Wildlife Resources, and Department of Forestry. From pure public policy and good government perspectives, these snippets are key: A+ Public Policy and Good Government Approach, part 1 and A+ Public Policy and Good Government Approach, part 2 . These practices should be replicated across the state government as well as town and county governments.

Hurricane season starts one month from today and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management is all about preparedness this week. You don’t have to dot every I and cross every T this week, but you should have a plan to work through the preparedness steps, including creating a plan and building a kit, over the next month or so. The key elements of preparedness are to make a plan , build a kit , and know your (evacuation) zone . For those who want to dive into the details of planning, preparedness, and evacuation, VDEM has updated the Virginia Hurricane Evacuation Guide and the Virginia Hurricane Preparedness Inland Impacts Guide . Stay updated on weather-related challenges and VDEM’s recommendations on social media: VDEM on Facebook , VDEM on Twitter , and VDEM on Instagram .