Category: Chesapeake

RICHMOND, Virginia (WAVY) – The Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD) has awarded a $ 100,000 grant to the DisAbility Law Center of Virginia (dLCV).

Officials say the grant will fund the development of an online database that will manage the storage and reporting of abuse, neglect, and exploitation data from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS).

Along with the data, the agency also receives reports of suspected abuse and neglect by incapacitated persons from the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS).

This project will enable the VBPD to:

London and Middlesex Counties receive a new injection of cash from Ottawa and Ontario.

On Tuesday, the federal and government of Ontario announced a $ 51.2 million funding to provide financial relief from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to more than 100 cities and towns across Ontario.

The province contributed just over $ 10 million to the funding package, with the remainder being diverted from Ottawa.

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The Waterloo, Guelph area is receiving millions from federal agencies COVID-19 resilience infrastructure stream

At the regional level, London is getting the largest share of change, with more than $ 4.4 million from the federal government and more than $ 1.1 million from the province.

According to the city, the money is earmarked for investments in the following priority projects:

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• HVAC and energy efficiency upgrades at the Carling Heights Optimist Community Center, Stronach Arena, and the Community and Boyle Memorial Community Center.
• Improvements to bicycle infrastructure on Brydges Street / Wavell Street and Saskatoon Street, and improvements to intersections on Commissioners Road East and Ridout Street South.
• Improvements to the cycling infrastructure on Fanshawe Park Road East between Richmond and Adelaide Streets.
• Sidewalk improvements within downtown and Richmond Street with the aim of improving pedestrian accessibility.

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Elsewhere, the Middlesex Center collectively receives more than $ 550,000, the Thames Center just under $ 150,000, St. Thomas more than $ 600,000, Strathroy-Caradoc more than $ 200,000, and Norfolk County more than $ 650,000 -Dollar.

Other recipients nearby are Aylmer, Lucan Biddulph, Stratford, and Sarnia.

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Ontario Donates US $ 300,000 to Help Fight Islamophobia in Schools

The Ontario government says the funding will help “develop modern and accessible recreational opportunities and equipment replacement in health and emergency facilities,” as well as invest in active transportation, urban infrastructure and community centers.

A full list of funding recipients is available on the country’s website.

2:16COVID-19: Companies in Ontario Prepare to Reopen, But Need Funding

COVID-19: Companies in Ontario Prepare to Reopen, But Need Funding

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© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Lori Jean Hanley, 60, died at her Chesapeake, VA home on June 27, 2021 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Lori was born on March 19, 1961 in Greenfield, MA, to the late Katherine Becklo. Here she met her childhood sweetheart and married her – James L. Hanley III (Jamie). Her caring and loving nature propelled her careers towards nursing. It was this passion for life that brought her to her husband, his career, and their two children – Nicholas and Christopher. Dedicated to her family and a true Navy wife, she led her through over forty grueling years of military service and worldwide relocations – even in Jamie’s absence. She kept her home as well as her family and with her passion for interior design managed to make a home out of every new house.

Lori will forever be remembered by her 37-year-old loving husband, James Hanley; her sons Nicholas Hanley (Angelica) of Jacksonville, FL and Christopher Hanley of Brunswick, GA; her brothers Carl Becklo of Richmond, NH and Michael Becklo (Francine) of Winnabow, NC; and a lot of family and friends.

The family welcomes friends to the Altmeyer Funeral Home in Chesapeake on Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., followed immediately by a celebration of life ministry. Express their condolences to the family at www.altmeyerfh.com. Commemorative donations can be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation at www.parkinson.org.

Published by The Virginian Pilot on July 3, 2021.

The start-up funding for Sustainable Dairy PA comes from The Hershey Company $ 300,000 Commitment to assist the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and Land O’Lakes in adopting agricultural conservation practices on Land O’Lakes member dairy farms. The partnership includes 119 Land O’Lakes member owners in Central Pennsylvania who deliver 50% or more of their milk to Hershey.

The Alliance for Chesapeake Bay will use Hershey’s funds to provide additional grants to implement conservation plans and innovative environmental practices on the farms. Solutions range from bank plantings that reduce creek bank erosion and improve habitat, to animal waste storage systems and other sustainable farming practices to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution.

“Running businesses like Hershey and Land O’Lakes is critical to restoring the Pennsylvania Rivers and Chesapeake Bay and achieving our climate goals. With so many passionate companies in our catchment area, we hope this partnership inspires others to take action towards a more sustainable future, ”shared Jenna Mitchell Beckett, Director of the State of Pennsylvania and Director of Agriculture Program at Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.

The initiative has started to work with dairy farmers in south-central Pennsylvania and actively compiling a list of their conservation needs that will guide the priorities of the program. In addition to working with the first 119 farms, the partnership has the potential to reach more than 400 Land O’Lakes member farms that will provide Hershey with milk as funding and support grows.

“We recognize that making a global impact means partnering with other leading organizations such as The Hershey Company and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, and we look forward to supporting this new initiative,” said Glenda Gehl, Land O’Lakes Senior Director of Member Relations. “With the Land O’Lakes Dairy 2025 Commitment, we are committed to developing measurable ways for our Farmer Members to reduce their environmental footprint in ways that support farm profitability and meet the expectations of our customers and consumers. ”

Recognizing that milk producers are key players in improving water quality and reducing climate change, the initiative was created to provide dairy farmers with the resources they need to improve their environmental impact. This enables farmers to produce high quality agricultural products while contributing to the health of the bay, its tributaries and the planet. The work aims to show that nature conservation and economic gain are compatible and that high-quality milk produced on farms with clean water and climate-friendly practices adds value to the market and meets the growing demands of demanding consumers.

“As we continue on our journey to reduce our environmental footprint and combat climate change, we are excited to partner with Land O’Lakes and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to promote best sustainable management practices in our dairy supply chain,” said Eric Boyle, Director of Commodities Procurement at The Hershey Company. “This initiative will not only help Hershey reduce our greenhouse gas footprint and improve water quality in Chesapeake Bay and other catchment areas in the region, it will also help improve soil health and protect biodiversity and ours To strengthen the connection with our milk producers that is so important to the creation of Hershey’s Milk Chocolate. “

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About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company is headquartered in Hershey, Pa., and is an industry-leading snack company known for bringing good to the world through its iconic brands, remarkable people, and ongoing commitment to children’s success. Hershey employs around 17,000 people worldwide who work every day to deliver delicious quality products. The company has more than 90 brands around the world covering more than $ 8.1 billion in annual sales, including iconic brands like Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kit Kat®, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Pirate’s Booty.

For more than 125 years, Hershey has been committed to fair, ethical and sustainable action. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, founded the Milton Hershey School in 1909, and the company has since focused on helping children succeed.

To learn more, visit www.thehersheycompany.com.

About the Alliance for Chesapeake Bay
Headquarters in Annapolis, MD, with offices in Lancaster, PA, Washington, DC, and Richmond, Virginia, Allianz implements local programs that connect people to their local rivers and streams. Because individuals are directly involved in local restoration efforts, our programs strengthen the resilience of our communities and landscapes to continually adapt to a changing world.

Over the past 50 years, Allianz has:

• Planted over 1 million trees
• Installed over $ 10 million in practices to reduce the runoff of polluted rainwater
• Implemented on-site management best practices on over 764 acres
• Trained over 700 volunteer scientists to collect over 360,000 water quality data points

Visit allianceforthebay.org to learn more.

About Land O’Lakes, Inc.
Land O’Lakes, Inc., one of America’s leading agribusiness and food companies, is a member-owned cooperative with industry-leading operations spanning the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer food. With an annual turnover in 2020 of $ 14 billion, Land O’Lakes is one of the largest cooperatives in the country and is ranked 219th on the Fortune 500. Building on a legacy of more than 99 years of operations, Land O’Lakes today operates some of the most respected brands in the agribusiness and food production, including Land O. Lakes Dairy Foods, Purina Animal Nutrition, WinField United, and Truterra. The company operates in all 50 states and more than 60 countries. Land O’Lakes, Inc. is headquartered in Arden Hills, Minnesota.

SOURCE The Hershey Company

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Recent bird sightings reported to the Mass Audubon:

Bristol County and the South Coast: There was a horned diver, parasitic hunter and black tern on Gooseberry Neck in Westport. Two sand hill cranes, an alder flycatcher and two winter wrens were reported in the Hockomock Wildlife Management Area.

Cape Cod: In addition to two small seagulls and a sandwich tern at Race Point, the highlights also included 11 late-moving broad-winged falcons in Provincetown. Observers also spotted a Caspian tern in Orleans calling Chuck Will’s widows in Buzzards Bay and North Falmouth, and two blue grosbeak in the Crane Wildlife Management Area in Falmouth.

Essex County: The luminaries last week included the continued presence of a summering horned crested grebe on a private beach on Ocean Avenue in Marblehead, a Caspian tern in Manchester, two yellow-crowned night herons in Newburyport and a king’s rail near the Plum Island Bridge in Newburyport .

Greater Boston: Highlights included a Mississippi kite in the Arnold Arboretum, a sand hill crane in Millennium Park in West Roxbury, a loon on Walden Pond in Concord and an alder flycatcher. There was an off-season dark-eyed Junco in Westborough and an Acadian flycatcher and four winter wrens in Noanet Woods, Dover.

Norfolk County: The area continued to be home to at least three Little Ringed Plovers on Wollaston Beach and one Acadian flycatcher on the Skyline Trail in the Blue Hills of Quincy.

Plymouth County: Interesting reports have come from a Western Kingbird at Plymouth Airport, a Clapper Rail at Duxbury Beach, two Sandhill Cranes and two Oroles in the Burrage Pond Wildlife Area in Hanson, a Cormorant on Plymouth Beach and an American Bittern in Tidmarsh. cited nature reserve in Plymouth.

The Islands: Interesting discoveries in Nantucket included a black-bellied wigeon, a calling chuck will’s widow, and a black-necked stilt in Nantucket harbor. A white-eyed vireo was also reported at Martha’s Vineyard.

Western Mass .: Interesting reports from Hampden County include two Dickzisels and two Little Bittern in Southwick and three Crested Singers near Mount Tekoa in Montgomery. In Hampshire County, a blue grosbeak has been spotted in Hadley’s Honey Pot, an Acadian flycatcher in Williamstown and a sand hill crane in Worthington. Berkshire County was home to a clay-colored sparrow in the Moran Wildlife Area in Windsor, a bittern in Richmond, and a crested warbler in New Marlborough.

Worcester County: Eight ring-necked ducks have been spotted out of season at Eagle Reserve in Royalston, two black vultures in Uxbridge and four sandhill cranes in Hardwick.

For more information about bird sightings or to report bird sightings, call Mass Audubon at 781-259-8805 or visit www.massaudubon.org.

Freshly shelled farm-grown clams at the Rappahannock Oyster Company in Richmond.

By Sarah Vogelsong
The Virginia Mercury

Don’t break the champagne with these oysters – at least not yet.

Virginia’s oyster industry, the largest on the east coast, has weathered the pandemic, but growers and producers in the Commonwealth’s eight oyster regions still have a long way to go, industry officials said.

After decades of overharvesting across the Chesapeake Bay region, Virginia oysters experienced a renaissance in the first decade of the 21st century. The state has poured millions into oyster restoration and reef building not only because of the economic potential of the centuries-old industry, but also because oysters provide some of the most effective filters for sediment and algae from bay waters.

However, the emergence of COVID-19 in the US in late winter 2020 brought the industry to a standstill.

“When all emergencies were declared last March, oyster companies saw a 95 to 99 percent drop in sales within a day or two. It was pretty devastating, ”said Mike Oesterling, executive director of Shellfish Growers of Virginia, a trading group representing the Commonwealth of mussel and oyster growers. “The pandemic really showed how much the oyster aquaculture industry really depends on people eating oysters.”

Now that the restrictions are lifted, Virginians, tired of lockdowns, eager to get out and party, flock to restaurants.

But the situation is still “mixed,” said Tanner Council, manager of the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance, an initiative of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation that includes around 70 oyster farmers, nonprofits and academic institutions.

Some growers are seeing a definite boom in business.

“Sales are pretty much where they have been,” said Rappahannock Oyster Company co-owner Travis Croxton to Governor Ralph Northam on June 15 as state officials gathered at the company’s Richmond restaurant in honor of Agriculture Week. And in Machipongo on the Chesapeake Bay side of the east coast, Lambert Shellfish recently sold out all of its market-size oysters, co-owner Alex Lambert told the Mercury.

Others, however, have a slower or more uneven recovery.

“I didn’t plan on slowing down,” said York River Oysters’ Tommy Leggett. “The pandemic has just blown the wind out of my sails.”

Over the past 15 months, oyster farmers and traders have tried a number of strategies to stay afloat.

Many ventured into direct sales, overhauled their websites, and set up online platforms for ordering. Others, backed by groups like the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance and Virginia Shellfish Growers, turned to pop-ups where growers set up temporary pick-up locations for customers in different regions to pick up their mussels. Mr. Leggett got into the farmer’s market game and set up a stall at a weekly market in Toano after Williamsburg cut its long-running event.

The state also stepped in. Virginia Tourism Corporation promoted local oyster businesses while the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services helped market Virginia oysters at Wegmans stores, Minister of Agriculture and Forests Bettina Ring said.

Not all results were optimal. With an oyster harvest in 2020 that had hit the sweet spot for size and claimed valuable reef space, many breeders felt compelled to sell their shellfish at discounted prices or to wrap houses where they were canned for sale.

“Others just sat on it and did their best to get them everywhere,” said Oesterling. “What they haven’t done is buy new seeds, buy new equipment, buy new equipment. Somehow it got the entire supply chain under control. ”

Still, few companies closed completely, either because their owners managed to turn around or because many had second jobs to rely on in lean months.

“I think the people in Virginia are holding out. I haven’t heard of many established companies like me that have closed their doors, ”said Mr. Leggett.

Conditions are improving. On May 28, Governor Northam lifted all restaurant restrictions and several producers reported increasing demand.

However, other problems have occurred. Both Mr. Leggett and Mr. Oesterling pointed to the staff shortage faced by many restaurants and oyster processors as a new limitation on the ability of farmers to act.

“The market has loosened up a bit, and then suddenly we have a labor shortage in the catering industry. We have a labor shortage on the farms, ”said Oesterling.

Andrew Button of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission added a caveat: “The labor shortage was the biggest complaint I heard personally, but it was a trend even before COVID,” he wrote in an email.

However, Mr. Lambert remains optimistic. Machipongo was in its infancy when COVID-19 hit and has grown over the past 15 months. Today Lambert Seafood sells to suppliers and wholesalers in New York and Virginia Beach and plans to roughly double the amount of oyster seeds it launches this year.

“I think the demand will go through the roof,” he said. “People (are) want to go out and splurge a bit, I think.”

Oysters at Rappahannock Oyster Company in Richmond. (Sarah Vogelsong / Virginia Mercury)

Don’t break the champagne with these oysters – at least not yet.

Virginia’s oyster industry, the largest on the east coast, has weathered the pandemic, but growers and producers in the Commonwealth’s eight oyster regions still have a long way to go, industry officials said.

After decades of overharvesting across the Chesapeake Bay region, Virginia oysters experienced a renaissance in the first decade of the 21st century. The state has poured millions into oyster restoration and reef building not only because of the economic potential of the centuries-old industry, but also because oysters provide some of the most effective filters for sediment and algae from bay waters.

However, the emergence of COVID-19 in the US in late winter 2020 brought the industry to a standstill.

“When all emergencies were declared last March, oyster companies saw a 95 to 99 percent drop in sales within a day or two. It was pretty devastating, ”said Mike Oesterling, executive director of Shellfish Growers of Virginia, a trading group representing the Commonwealth of mussel and oyster growers. “The pandemic really showed how much the oyster aquaculture industry really depends on people eating oysters.”

Now that the restrictions are lifted, Virginians, tired of lockdowns, eager to get out and party, flock to restaurants.

State Senator Jennifer McClellan, Secretary of State for Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring, and Governor Ralph Northam speak with Travis Croxton, co-owner of the Rappahannock Oyster Company, about oysters and the COVID-19 pandemic in Richmond in June 2021. (Sarah Vogelsong / Virginia Mercury)

But the situation is still “mixed,” said Tanner Council, manager of the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance, an initiative of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation that includes around 70 oyster farmers, nonprofits and academic institutions.

Some growers are seeing a definite boom in business.

“Sales are pretty much where they have been,” said Rappahannock Oyster Company co-owner Travis Croxton to Governor Ralph Northam on June 15 as state officials gathered at the company’s Richmond restaurant in honor of Agriculture Week. And in Machipongo on the Chesapeake Bay side of the east coast, Lambert Shellfish recently sold out all of its market-size oysters, co-owner Alex Lambert told the Mercury.

Others, however, have a slower or more uneven recovery.

“I didn’t plan on slowing down,” said York River Oysters’ Tommy Leggett. “The pandemic has just blown the wind out of my sails.”

Over the past 15 months, oyster farmers and traders have tried a number of strategies to stay afloat.

Many ventured into direct sales, overhauled their websites, and set up online platforms for ordering. Others, backed by groups like the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance and Virginia Shellfish Growers, turned to pop-ups where growers set up temporary pick-up locations for customers in different regions to pick up their mussels. Leggett jumped into the farmer’s market game and set up a stall at a weekly market in Toano after Williamsburg cut its long-running event.

The state also stepped in. Virginia Tourism Corporation promoted local oyster businesses while the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services helped market Virginia oysters at Wegmans stores, Minister of Agriculture and Forests Bettina Ring said.

(Sarah Vogelsong / Virginia Mercury)

Oysters all year round

You may remember your grandmother’s old rule of thumb: only eat oysters in months with an “r” in their name. But farmers and Virginia’s Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bettina Ring say this is an artifact from another era and advice that no longer needs to be followed. Tanner Council of the Virginia Oyster Alliance noted that most of the oysters raised by farmers today are “triploid,” a genetically modified species of oyster that is sterile and does not undergo the reproductive changes that make it inedible in summer. Instead, “they just pump and filter and get bigger and fatter and prettier all the time,” he said.

Not all results were optimal. With an oyster harvest in 2020 that had hit the sweet spot for size and claimed valuable reef space, many breeders felt compelled to sell their shellfish at discounted prices or to wrap houses where they were canned for sale.

“Others just sat on it and did their best to get them everywhere,” said Oesterling. “What they haven’t done is buy new seeds, buy new equipment, buy new equipment. Somehow it got the entire supply chain under control. ”

Still, few companies closed completely, either because their owners managed to turn around or because many had second jobs to rely on in lean months.

“I think the people in Virginia are holding out. I haven’t heard of many established companies like me that have closed their doors, ”Leggett said.

Conditions are improving. May 28th Northam has lifted all restrictions on restaurants, and several growers reported increasing demand.

However, other problems have occurred. Both Leggett and Oesterling pointed out that staffing shortages at many restaurants and oyster processors are a new limitation on how much corporate growers can do.

“The market has loosened up a bit, and then suddenly we have a labor shortage in the catering industry. We have a labor shortage on the farms, ”said Oesterling.

Andrew Button of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission added a caveat: “The labor shortage was the biggest complaint I heard personally, but it was a trend even before COVID,” he wrote in an email.

Lambert remains optimistic, however. Machipongo was in its infancy when COVID-19 hit and has grown over the past 15 months. Today Lambert Seafood sells to suppliers and wholesalers in New York and Virginia Beach and plans to roughly double the amount of oyster seeds it launches this year.

“I think the demand will go through the roof,” he said. “People (are) want to go out and splurge a bit, I think.”

Finally help is coming for the residents who have lived “in fear” for 40 years of being flooded every time it rains.

Flood Action Group Watton and Saham Toney, founded in 2017, have worked tirelessly to get the help they need to deal with the ongoing flooding problem in the area.

Flooding on Richmond Road in Saham Toney.
– Credit: Watton and Saham Flood Action Group

In 2009, 2016 and August and December last year, parts of the city and surrounding villages were hit by severe flooding that affected homes and businesses. But the problem can be traced back to the 1980s.

Pictured in the 1980s. Flooding on the bridge looking towards Watton up Swaffham Road.
– Credit: Watton and Saham Flood Action Group

Angela Minto, 75, has lived in her home on Cley Lane in Saham Toney for 15 years and her home has been flooded three times.

“We were flooded for the first time after heavy rain in 2016 and it was like a tidal wave,” she said. “It went through my lounge and my kitchen. We were totally up to our knees in the water.

“Then it happened again in August last year and the day before Christmas Eve and it was twice as bad. Every time it rains, the nerves start. You don’t know what to expect. ”

Angela Minto, 75, says her Saham Toney home has been flooded three times since 2016.
– Credit: Jess Coppins

She continued, “When we have nice weather, you are all happy because the sun is shining, but when you look up at the sky and see a big black cloud and think, ‘Oh my God’.

“It’s a terrible experience at my age. I thought this would be my last home. I don’t want to move, but I’m being forced to do so because you can’t live in fear of a raindrop, but I’m not the only one. ”

Liz Whitcher, Chair of the Watton and Saham Flood Action Group.
– Credit: Jess Coppins

Liz Whitcher, chair of the action group, said there were a variety of problems that contribute to the flooding, including unserviceable ditches, highway drains and water courses.

As well as problems with poultry canals, water that cannot drain into the Watton Brook, and overbuilding in the area – with ineffective drainage systems.

Flooding at Watton Green in 2009.
– Credit: Watton and Saham Flood Action Group

Ms. Whitcher said, “Christmas for Saham Toney had a terrible time. The water in the center of the village was three feet deep. There was an elderly lady who had to be rescued in the middle of the night for Christmas.

“In Watton there is a new development and we had 13 fire extinguishers there that pumped out the water and many houses were flooded internally not only with water but also with sewage. It was absolutely terrible for her. And everywhere the houses of the Watton people were flooded. ”

Sewage in a bath in a house on Brandon Road during the December floods.
– Credit: Watton and Saham Flood Action Group

The action group had already promised commitments from local authorities, including Anglian Water and Norfolk County Council, to make improvements.

Flooding in a house at Horseshoe close, August 2020.
– Credit: Watton and Saham Flood Action Group

But after Christmas dinners – which hit communities across Norfolk – Watton and Saham Toney are now among the 16 flood hotspots identified by a new task force.

Flood in Saham Toney in 2016.
– Photo credit: Nick Creek

The Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance (NSFA), chaired by former British Army Chief Lord Richard Dannatt, has highlighted more than a dozen sites to study and help fund.

Lord Dannatt said, “The Alliance – led by Norfolk County Council as the lead agency for this particular location – is committed to developing a well-defined, calculated solution for Watton and Saham Toney that will be an integral part of any future funding offerings required.

“We are working with a number of partners, including the Flood Action Group and landowners, to review what will be needed to address the flood on the site and are working to be ready by the fall to apply for funding and get the work done as soon as possible afterwards. “

Watton and Saham Flood Action Group say the bridge connecting Swaffham Road and Richmond Road is a problem area for flooding.
– Credit: Watton and Saham Flood Action Group

Working with Allianz, Anglian Water says they will also be working on-site to improve their sewage network and plan to implement a range of surface water management measures as part of their Make Rain Happy program.

Fire hoses remove flood water in Watton.
– Credit: Watton and Saham Flood Action Group

Flooding at Monkhams Drive in Watton.
– Credit: Watton and Saham Flood Action Group

Keith Gilbert, Watton Alderman and Breckland Alderman, added, “It’s been going on for years.

“I’ve been on the city council for 38 years now and when I started there were flooding problems in the city and it’s still going on.

“It continues without action.”

For more information about the group, visit their website here, https://wattonsahamfloodaction.org.uk/. Or, for flood support, visit the National Flood Forum, https://nationalfloodforum.org.uk/

The Watton and Saham Flood Action Group. (Left to right) Keith Gilbert Watton and Breckland Councilor, with Liz Whitcher Group Chair and Nick Creek Member and Saham Toney Resident.
– Credit: Jess Coppins

RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) – Governor Ralph Northam signed an executive order Thursday afternoon setting pollution reduction goals for lands within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Order specifically targets land owned by government agencies and public universities.

“Stormwater runoff is one of the most harmful and difficult sources of pollution in Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries,” said Governor Northam. “Virginia has taken bold steps to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution, and we have made significant progress, but we must step up those efforts to meet our clean water goals by 2025. As one of the largest landowners in the Bay’s catchment area, this policy will ensure that the Commonwealth leads by example. “

This implementing regulation follows the 2019 Implementation plan for Phase III of the catchment area which aimed to reach the maximum total daily exposure of the Chesapeake Bay by 2025. Since then, experts have worked to create a State Lands Watershed Implementation Plan (SWIP) by mapping state lands, calculating targets for runoff pollution, and identifying conservation practices that, when implemented, will reduce nutrient and sediment pollution.

The goal of SWIP is to reduce or offset unregulated, non-punctual pollution emanating from state land within the Chesapeake Bay basin in Virginia. It aims to reduce 122,000 pounds of nitrogen and 10,100 pounds of phosphorus.

“Government agencies and universities must take the same steps to restore Chesapeake Bay that the Commonwealth has come to expect of farmers, homeowners, private companies and local governments,” said Minister for Natural Resources Matthew J. Strickler.