From Director Clyde Cristman: 2018 Year in Review
The way to Widewater State Park's boat ramp.
As we ring in a new year, there is so much to celebrate from the past year, and I believe it is worthwhile to highlight our accomplishments. It is a great privilege to lead the dedicated and hardworking team here at the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Last year DCR realized numerous achievements that I am confident will provide great benefits for many years. Through these efforts, team members were proactive in meeting the needs of the commonwealth and the agency mission to conserve, protect and enjoy all that Virginia has to offer.
- 38 State Parks: Gov. Ralph Northam took part in opening Widewater State Park on Nov. 8. The 1,100-acre park in Stafford County has 2 miles of water frontage along the Potomac River and Aquia Creek.
- New License Plate: DCR surpassed the goal of 450 Virginia State Parks specialty license plate sign-ups paving the way for a Virginia State Parks license plate to hit roadways in 2019. The General Assembly is expected to pass authorization legislation now pending in the current session.
- Openings: Visitor center displays were opened at Staunton River Battlefield State Park, Pocahontas State Parks and Belle Isle State Park. Pocahontas's new Swift Creek Trail System opened, paving the way for the International Mountain Biking Association to certify the Richmond Region as one of 17 locations worldwide to receive the Ride Center designation. The Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center in Scott County also opened.
- Partnership with Tesla: The first electric car charging station in a Virginia state park opened at First Landing State Park.
- Virginia Green Travel Star Award: Virginia State Parks received the Most Innovative Green Projects award for switching vehicles and tools from gas to battery powered.
- Interpretive Programs: Staff conducted more than 18,425 interpretive programs for more than 444,000 state park visitors.
Yurts: DCR finished building and offered for rent 22 yurts in seven parks.- Bees: The Natural Heritage inventory team worked hard to document Virginia’s native bees. There are 450 bee species native to Virginia. This included documenting the endangered rusty-patched bumblebee. Twenty-one such bees were found in Highland and Bath counties. It’s the largest known population documented east of the Mississippi.
- Reviewing Impact: DCR's Natural Heritage staff reviewed 2,577 projects in 2018 and analyzed their potential impacts to rare and endangered species and natural communities. Staff recommended ways to minimize or eliminate adverse impacts.
- Predicting Habitat: Natural Heritage staff completed a statewide habitat prediction model for all 138 state and federally listed plant and animal species. This information can be used by conservationists and the private sector to develop interactive maps that guide and inform decisions and actions.
- Land Protected: A total of 120 acres were purchased and added to two natural area preserves, The Cedars and Magothy Bay. Another 322 acres were added to the Natural Area Preserve System by easement donation. The preserves include Crow’s Nest, Mount Joy Pond and South Quay Sandhills.
- Grants for Protection: The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation awarded 12 grants totaling $2.82 million to protect 1,752 acres.
- Virginia Outdoors Plan: DCR finished the state’s five-year plan for outdoor recreation and land conservation. The “2018 Virginia Outdoors Plan” includes results of a statewide survey about outdoor recreation and regional projects expected to be completed in the coming years.
- Trails Planning Retreat: DCR brought together trail advocates from the State Trails Advisory Committee to further discuss support, funding and development of trails across the state. The new Virginia Trails Alliance was formed during this planning session.
- Water Quality: Facilitated agricultural sector input for development of the Chesapeake Bay TMDL WIP III through numerous outreach meetings with agricultural interests, soil and water conservation districts, and key stakeholders.
- Cost-Share Review: Led an extensive stakeholder review of the Virginia Agricultural Cost-Share Program to increase its implementation by agricultural producers and enhance the technical support provided by DCR and soil and water conservation districts.
- Nutrient Management Database: Completed significant upgrades to the nutrient management database application to further ease of use, tracking, reporting of reductions from nutrient management plans and other key elements of DCR's nutrient management program.
- Dam Safety Flood Prevention and Protection Assistance Fund Grants: More than $366,000 was awarded for dam safety and floodplain projects across the state.
- Dam Safety Inventory System (DSIS): Phase II of the database application to increase public access to and awareness of Dam Safety data was completed. DSIS became available online statewide and has been used by emergency responders during flood and hurricane events.
- Support Emergency Responses: Staff responded to a number of dam failures, over-topping events and other safety issues caused by unprecedented rains, tropical storms and hurricanes of 2018.
- Executive Order 24: Supported the priorities of the governor as expressed in Executive Order 24 related to flooding and resilience as the result of a changing climate.
- Flood Insurance Outreach: Initiated a flood insurance outreach strategy to increase awareness of flood risk, flood insurance benefits and DCR’s role in floodplain management.
- Floodplain Management Workshops: Scheduled and conducted floodplain management workshops with 21 planning district commissions (PDCs) across the state to establish relationships with the PDCs as conduits for outreach to the National Flood Insurance Program communities within their districts.
I join all of our staff to wish you a happy and healthy 2019 as we continue to make Virginia the finest state in the country in which to live, work and recreate.
- DCR Director Clyde Cristman
This rusty-patched bumblebee was found in Bath County.
The Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center in Scott County opened in December 2018.
DCR and the State Trails Advisory Committee met on trail development, support and funding. Walking for pleasure is the third most popular outdoor activity in Virginia.
Ashley and Mike McMahon, top row on the left, were among ten 2018 Clean Water Farm Award Grand Basin winners at this year's annual meeting of Virginia's 47 soil and water conservation districts.
DCR, an equal employment opportunity agency, is committed to a diverse and inclusive environment for its staff and customers.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
