Virginia Department of Conservation and RecreationAn official website of the Commonwealth of Virginia Here's how you knowAn official websiteHere's how you know
Department of Conservation and Recreation
From opening Virginia’s newest state park, Sweet Run, in Loudoun County, to awarding a land conservation grant to protect more than 44,000 acres in the heart of Appalachia, DCR made an impact throughout the commonwealth in 2023. Here are just a few ways the agency worked toward fulfilling its mission to Conserve, Protect and Enjoy this year.
Record acreage for land conservation grant awards: A total of $14.7 million in Virginia Land Conservation Foundation grants was awarded to help protect a record 46,000 acres. The 29 projects receiving funds include land acquisitions for new public outdoor recreation areas, and conservation easements to protect active forests and farmland.
New public lands acquisitions: Twenty-one land acquisitions were completed in 2023, protecting more than 3,300 acres. Projects include 994 acres for a future state park in Highland County, the doubling of Chestnut Ridge Natural Area Preserve in Giles and Bland counties, and several projects at Clinch River State Park in Southwest Virginia.
Agricultural cost-share funding: The Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program, or VACS, is funded with $124.6 million in fiscal year 2024. Farmers can receive up to $300,000 to adopt practices that keep nutrients, sediments and waste out of streams and rivers.
Honoring nine Virginia farms: For demonstrating exceptional commitment to practices that protect the soil and water, nine grand winners received 2023 Clean Water Farm Awards. DCR sponsors the awards in partnership with the state’s 47 soil and water conservation districts. One winner is selected from each of Virginia’s major river basins.
Small farm field days: Owners and operators of small farms discovered ways to improve soil and animal health and learned about funding opportunities at four free field days, hosted on farms in Fauquier, Louisa, Franklin and Surry counties. The events were sponsored by the Virginia State University Small Farm Outreach Program.
Major flood resilience financial assistance: DCR offered a total of $103 million in financial assistance to localities and planning district commissions for flood resilience planning, projects and capacity building.
New flood preparedness coordination: The Office of Resilience Planning hosted the first annual Flood Preparedness Coordination meeting with more than 140 participants. Stakeholders learned from presentations about ongoing resilience initiatives that impact state, regional and local governance across the commonwealth.
Improving dam safety: DCR regulates more than 2,500 dams in Virginia, most of which are privately owned. The agency has reduced the number of dams with unknown ownership from 812 to 23. Also, the number of dams lacking a condition assessment was decreased from 1,886 to 1,693.
Considering karst landscapes: As the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality worked to develop new stormwater guidelines, DCR contributed important information about karst terrain and its interactions with stormwater. About one-third of Virginia contains karst landscapes, which are produced by the dissolving of rock such as limestone or dolomite, and feature sinkholes, springs, caves and caverns.
Protecting ash trees: Ash trees have been under attack from an invasive insect, the emerald ash borer. The Virginia State Parks resource management teams and Virginia Natural Heritage Program worked together to treat infected trees at Machicomoco and Chippokes state parks.
Virginia’s 42nd state park: Governor Glenn Youngkin officially dedicated Sweet Run State Park on Oct. 6 in Loudoun County. The 884-acre park, crossed by Sweet Run and Piney Run streams, features expansive views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. [Video of event.]
First inn at a state park: At New River Trail State Park, DCR celebrated the opening of the Inn at Foster Falls – a first-of-its-kind lodging amenity within the Virginia State Parks system. The full-service inn offers 10 unique rooms for overnight guests, stately banquet and meeting rooms, a catering kitchen and beautiful two-story porches.
Improvements at Widewater, other state parks: At Widewater State Park, DCR opened a new motorized boat ramp and a paddle launch to the public. Other construction work completed includes two new picnic shelters, new contact stations, maintenance area, boat trailer parking, and improvements to the road and utilities. At other state parks, renovation projects included the following:
Recreational Trails Program grants: DCR and the Federal Highway Administration awarded seven trail projects through the Recreational Trails Program. The Recreational Trails Program, or RTP, is a federal, matching reimbursement program established to construct and rehabilitate recreational trails and trail-related facilities.
Popular natural area preserves: Visitation at Virginia’s natural area preserve system was on track to break records. From January through September, 160,000 visitors went to natural area preserves that offer public access, including Crow’s Nest and Buffalo Mountain. The agency has published an updated public access guide to the preserves (PDF).
Environmental education grants: The Office of Environmental Education awarded $382,000 in grants for Meaningful Watershed Education Experience programs in 2023.
Native plant finder: To help Virginians search for the most appropriate native plant species, DCR released an improved Virginia Native Plant Finder. The free online tool includes 1,600 plants native to the state, for use in projects of any scale, from backyard gardens to large, pollinator-friendly solar sites.
Greenway project funding: The Commonwealth of Virginia has received its first national Outdoor Recreation Legacy Program grant. The National Park Service award is for the City of Norfolk for a new park called St. Paul’s Blue Greenway.
Categories
Dam Safety | Flood Resilience | Floodplain Management | Natural Heritage | Recreation Planning | Soil and Water Conservation | State Parks
Tags
dams | flood control | flood resilience | natural area preserves | state parks
