VCN
E-NEWS: June 25, 2004
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NEWS
ITEMS
“CODE RED” – AMERICA’S FIVE MOST
POLLUTED NATIONAL PARKS
June 25, 2004 - - Today NPCA is releasing "Code Red:
America's Five Most Polluted National Parks," which
used NPS data for ozone, haze, and acid rain to determine
this ranking. Remarkably, while ozone pollution is declining
slightly in many cities nationwide, in many national parks,
ozone pollution is getting worse.
The pollution that harms the parks originates almost entirely
outside the parks, and travels first across the backyards,
schoolyards, and farmyards of a wide region.
Shenandoah National Park in Virginia ranked as the 3rd
most polluted overall, with ozone pollution getting worse
since 1991.
Joy M. Oakes, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director
National Parks Conservation Association
The press release follow:
une 25, 2005 - - Washington, DC- A new report released
today by three conservation groups ranks Shenandoah as
America's third most-polluted national park. Appalachian
Voices, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA),
and Our Children's Earth analyzed National Park Service
data to write Code Red: America's Five Most Polluted National
Parks, which updates a 2002 report.
"America's priceless heritage found in our national
parks is under siege by air pollution," said Joy
Oakes, director of NPCA's Mid-Atlantic Regional Office.
"The EPA must act now to require older, dirty smokestacks
to comply with modern pollution control standards."
This year, the EPA designated parts of Shenandoah as having
unhealthful air because of ozone pollution, and according
to the report the park's ozone trends since 1991 show
that levels of this pollutant have increased by more than
13 percent. Shenandoah's 36 unhealthful air days from
1999 to 2003 were not much better than urban Washington,
D.C.'s 43 days for the same period. None of the 13 parks
evaluated in today's report have experienced statistically
significant improvement in their ozone pollution levels.
More than half of the parks reviewed, including Shenandoah,
have experienced ozone pollution worsening over the past
decade. Ozone, which contributes to smog, damages the
lungs of humans and damages plants at even lower levels
than those set to protect human health.
Widespread ozone pollution is a particular problem for
Shenandoah because 95 percent of the park is forested.
Forty park species are ozone-sensitive, and ozone damage
has been identified in ten species. Poor air quality is
also a problem for the park's wildlife and scenery, as
well as visitors and staff, a conclusion supported by
NPCA's 2003 State of the Parks® report. Park streams
continue to acidify and are less able to support fish,
and although park haze has somewhat improved over the
past decade, views that should extend 81 to 119 miles
average less than 25 miles during the summer. Hiking,
fishing, and scenery viewing from Skyline Drive and the
Appalachian Trail are popular park activities; with diminished
quality of experience, visitors are less likely to stay
as long in a park, which could affect local economies.
Nearly all of the pollution plaguing our parks comes from
sources located outside of their boundaries. Power plants
and industrial facilities as well as cars, trucks, planes,
trains, and construction and agricultural equipment produce
fossil-fuel pollution.
"Three of the five most-polluted national parks are
situated downwind from clusters of power plants,"
said Harvard Ayers, chair of Appalachian Voices. "Between
the power plants and parks are towns where people breathe
the same polluted air." Overall conditions at Shenandoah
National Park, like other parks on the list, have not
improved significantly since the most recent amendments
to the Clean Air Act passed in 1990. Many power plants
and industrial facilities continue to operate with limited
pollution controls, and new sources incrementally add
more pollution to the unresolved problem.
Recently, to comply with a court settlement, the EPA proposed
to clean up emissions from some of the oldest power plants
and industries. This proposal requires plants and industries
to install the "best available retrofit technology"
specifically to improve the polluted conditions in national
parks. However, the administration proposal currently
lets other programs serve as substitutes for power plants,
falling far short of the reductions parks need. According
to the Code Red report, Virginia state officials also
can act to help conditions from getting worse by setting
a temporary moratorium on new power plants in the state,
including denying a permit for a power plant planned only
five miles from the park's borders. That and other actions,
coupled with a strong park haze rule, will help air quality
in Shenandoah and communities across the state. Code Red
ranks the following national parks as the five most polluted:
1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park in
Tennessee and North Carolina
2. Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky
3. Shenandoah National Park in Virginia
4. Acadia National Park in Maine
5. Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks in
California "Protecting and restoring Shenandoah will
benefit communities throughout a larger region,"
said Oakes. "Public health and local economies as
well as the park will benefit if decision makers act to
reduce pollution."
To read Code Red: America's Five Most Polluted National
Parks, please go to www.npca.org/codered
HIGH-TECH APPROACH NETS HONORS
FOR WILDLIFE CENTER
VCN member organization, Wildlife Center of Virginia,
has recently been recognized by the Computerworld Honors
Program as "The Best In the World" for the innovative
use of Information technology in the category of Environment,
Energy, and Agriculture. The press release is below.
In addition to that recognition, Wildlife Center executive
director Ed Clark was a recent guest on C-SPAN talking
about Endangered Species. The program can be seen on the
C-SPAN website
http://www.c-span.org
and clicking on the link with Ed Clark’s name from Washington
Journal on June 14th.
Release – June 9, 2004 High-Tech Approach Nets Honors
For Wildlife Center
Waynesboro, VA- For the second time in ten days, the Wildlife
Center of Virginia has been recognized for its innovative
use of information technology in its work as the world’s
leading teaching and research hospital for wildlife medicine.
On Monday night, before an international audience in Washington,
the Waynesboro-based Wildlife Center received the highly
prestigious 21st Century Achievement Award from the Computerworld
Honors Program, sponsored by Computerworld Magazine. Often
described as “the Academy Awards for Information Technology”,
the international awards program recognizes those companies
and organizations considered the world’s best at using
computers, communications networks, and information technology
to pursue their missions. Widely known for its conservation
and veterinary accomplishments, this recognition propels
the Wildlife Center of Virginia into the spotlight in
the high-tech world of electronics and communications
networking as well.
“When it rains, it pours,” say Edward Clark, president
and cofounder of the Wildlife Center of Virginia. “It
has taken 22 years of hard work to become an overnight
sensation!” Clark was referring to the fact that the Computerworld
Honors Program award was the second award received by
the center in two weeks. On May 27, the Wildlife Center
was recognized by the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council,
which presented the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology's
“Innovative Technology Application Award".
Clark explained that while most people think of the Wildlife
Center as the place that cares for injured wildlife—which
it is—there is so much more to the Center’s programs.
“Wildlife care is just the tip of the iceberg,” says Clark.
“The Center is also a leading facility for professional
training, environmental education, conservation policy
work, medical research, and international partnership
development. We are even developing a national wildlife
disease surveillance network that will contribute to national
biosecurity and bioterrorism defense programs. We are
a global conservation organization.”
Indeed, from its state-of-the-art hospital just inside
the city limits of Waynesboro, the Center’s highly qualified
professional staff delivers programs and services that
are having an impact worldwide. Within the last three
months, the Center’s staff and associates have conducted
training, addressed scientific gatherings, or presented
programs in Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Denmark, Uganda,
South Africa and Canada. As the demand for the Center's
services continues to grow, it has become increasingly
clear that staff air travel can no longer be the primary
delivery method. The Center has turned to technology.
“We have always tried to find the best tools with which
to do our work, and achieve as much as possible with limited
resources,” said Clark. “Our use of information technology
has been part of our efforts for a long time. However,
in recent years, with the global explosion of illegal
wildlife trafficking and the emergence of new wildlife
diseases, we have had to extend ourselves even farther.
It is great to receive such recognition and validation
for our efforts, especially when so much of our technology
infrastructure has been built with volunteer labor and
donated goods and services.” The Center was nominated
for these awards by business leaders who are very familiar
with the Wildlife Center. Their respective companies are
actively involved with Center operations.
John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, one of the world’s
largest manufacturers of computer networking equipment,
submitted the Computerworld Honors nomination. Cisco donated
nearly $100,000 worth of switches, routers and firewalls
for the Wildlife Center’s internal communications network.
The nomination for the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council
Award was submitted by Kevin Walsh of NTELOS, the communications
company that provides the Center’s telephone and high
speed internet connections. “This is especially gratifying,”
explained Clark, “because Cisco helped us build our network,
and NTELOS enables us to take our programs and services
to world.”
“While I get to receive the awards and make the speeches,”
says Clark, “the real credit for this award goes to our
volunteer technology team—Board members, volunteers, donors
and supporters.” The Center’s technology program is headed
by Wildlife Center board members Ron Perry, principle
of grep Innovation LLC and self-described “Mad Scientist”,
and Kurt Plowman, Chief Technology Officer for the City
of Staunton. With the support of a wide array of local
technology companies and professionals, donations of equipment
and services, the Wildlife Center’s Technology Committee
has built the award-winning program for a tiny fraction
of its true cost. This has enabled the non-profit Wildlife
Center, which operates largely on private donations, to
achieve results far beyond what most organizations its
size could even imagine. Plans are well underway for even
more ambitious uses of technology in the coming months.
Among the Center’s technology-based programs are postdoctoral
training courses that use teleconferencing for weekly
seminars with partners at the University of Tennessee
College of Veterinary medicine, internal communications
systems, patient database and disease analysis, laboratory
diagnostic services, international training for conservation
professionals, on-line commerce for donations and program
registration, and the use of geographic information systems
for mapping patient loads and disease incidents.
“While we are embracing technology as a means through
which to pursue our conservation mission, we are still,
first and foremost a hospital for injured wildlife. Technology
is a tool, not an end in itself. When our donors send
in their checks to support our work, they can take comfort
in the knowledge that with such tools, the Wildlife Center
of Virginia multiplies the impact and benefit of every
dollar we receive.”
For more information: Edward Clark, President, 540/942-9453
(o) or 703/627-9454 (c) or visit: www.wildlifecenter.org,
or www.cwheroes.org/briefingroom_2004/
VDOT SEEKS COMMENT ON PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
THROUGH JULY 31
Help shape the VDOT public involvement process for planning
and programming by reviewing a draft of Public Involvement:
Your Guide to Participating in the Transportation Planning
and Programming Processes and commenting online. Your
feedback will influence the creation of the procedures
VDOT uses during public involvement phases in these important
stages of project development.
Review the draft guide and comment online
http://www.virginiadot.org/infoservice/pip-policyinfo.asp
HEARINGS SET FOR VTRANS 2025 PLAN:
The –VTRANS 2025 section of the VDOT web site [see above]
has the schedule of public meetings for receiving comment
on the committee’s draft recommendations on the 2025 Plan.
The website will soon have the times. The dates and locations
are:
July 7th - Fredericksburg, Caroline County Community Center
July 20th - Bristol, Southwest Virginia Higher Education
Center (Grand Hall), Abingdon,
July 21st - Salem, Salem Civic Center
July 28th - Staunton, Harrisonburg, High School (Forum)
July 28th - Northern Virginia, American Legion Post 176,
Springfield Ballroom
July 29th - Northern Virginia, Dulles Expo and Conference
Center (Ballroom)
August 4th – Richmond Area, Petersburg Train Station
August 5th - Lynchburg, Appomattox High School
August 10th - Culpeper, Culpeper Train Depot
August 11th - Hampton Roads, Thomas Nelson Community College
August 12th - Hampton Roads, Hampton Roads Planning District
Commission
CALENDAR
GROWING GREEN BUILDINGS IN
VIRGINIA-JULY 13, 2004
You're Invited to - - - GROWING GREEN BUILDINGS IN VIRGINIA
VaHEN Annual Meeting and Fundraising Event with Silent
Auction
LOCATION: Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, Virginia
TIME: 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM
DATE: July 13, 2004
Featured Presentation:
Traditional Neighborhood Design and Sustainable Development:
Combining Two Development Approaches for Livability and
Economic Health Speakers: Daniel Slone, McGuire Woods,
and John Clark, The John A. Clark Co. SPECIAL GUEST: Bill
Browning, Green Development Services, Rocky Mountain Institute
“Growing Green Buildings in Virginia” will provide you
with the opportunity to:
--Learn about some of the exemplary Green Building projects
that have been built or planned for construction in the
Commonwealth of Virginia;
--Network with other guests and sponsor/exhibitors;
--Help us honor our retiring Founding President, Karl
Bren;
--Welcome our new Officers and Board of Directors;
--Hear an overview of VaHEN’s accomplishments;
--Find out about VaHEN’s plans for the future – including
a change in name to “Virginia Sustainable Building Network
;”
--Participate in a silent auction, featuring Virginia
businesses and Green products and services.
For information on Sponsorship of "Growing Green
Buildings in Virginia" or to Register to attend,
please see the attached invitation. For more information,
contact: Annette Osso, Executive Director, VaHEN, 703-486-2966
or vahen@mindspring.com.
MAINTAINING THE QUALITY AND
INTEGRITY OF CONSERVATION EASEMENTS-JULY 22 & 23
Join us for a PEC seminar highlighting the important issues
facing landowners, their advisors and public/private organizations
that are engaged in land conservation transactions. The
significant financial incentives available to today’s
easement donors and the current state and federal political
climate make it critically important that all conservation
easement donations are of the highest quality and integrity.
This seminar is designed to help landowner advisors and
the land trust community better recognize potential problems
and abuses before they become the subject of an audit
or other legal challenge.
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
Will include the following:
· Easements and the IRS
· How much development is permitted
in a conservation easement ?
· What is the role of a land trust
in accepting a conservation easement?
· What are the current national trends
in conservation easements?
· Recommended valuation techniques
for conservation easements
· Aggressive practices seen in easement
appraisals and the risks associated with them
SPEAKER INFORMATION
Dr. Jack Boykin — Professor Emeritus, Virginia Commonwealth
University School of Business, Real Estate and Land Development
Program. Author of numerous articles and books including,
The Valuation of Real Estate and Transfer Method and Valuation
Procedures for Conservation Easements. Member of the Governing
Council of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers.
Dr. Boykin was appointed in 1990 by the Governor of Virginia
as a founding member of the Virginia Appraisers Board
and reappointed in 1994.
Mark Weston, a principal in the real estate consulting
firm of Hunsperger & Weston in Colorado. Mr. Weston
has eighteen years experience as an independent real estate
appraiser, with a special focus on valuation of conservation
easements. He is a board member of the Colorado Coalition
of Land Trusts and a frequent speaker and instructor at
Land Trust Alliance Rallies and Southwest Regional Conferences.
Nancy A. McLaughlin, Associate Professor of Law at the
University of Utah College of Law in Salt Lake City, Utah,
and frequent lecturer on conservation easements and the
federal and state tax benefits provided to easement donors.
She is a 1990 Graduate of the University of Virginia School
of Law and was formerly with McGuireWoods, LLP in Charlottesville,
where she practiced tax and estate planning with a specialty
in conservation easement transactions.
Representatives from PEC and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation
will discuss the way these key issues are impacting land
conservation in Virginia.
Leesburg Seminar
Thursday, July 22, 2004, 8:30 A.M.—2:00 P.M.
Holiday Inn At Historic Carradoc Hall, 1500 East
Market Street
Leesburg, Virginia 20176
Charlottesville Seminar
Friday, July 23, 2004, 8:30 A.M.—2:00 P.M.
Municipal Arts Center, 1119 5th St., S.W.
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
Fees
$100 per person seeking continuing education credit
$50 per person not seeking continuing education credit*
*Fee waived for land trust staff and board members
For more information, please contact Erika Richardson
@ 540-347-2334 ext. 25 or erichardson@pecva.org.
The Piedmont Environmental Council, founded in 1972, is
a non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting
and protecting the Virginia Piedmont’s rural economy,
natural resources, history and beauty. PEC serves nine
counties, including Loudoun, Fauquier, Clarke, Rappahannock,
Culpeper, Madison, Greene, Orange and Albemarle.
VIRGINIA INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENTAL
CONFERENCE AND GOVERNOR’S ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS
The 2nd Annual VA Industry Environmental Conference is
being held Sept. 21 & 22 in Richmond, VA at the Greater
Richmond Convention Center. The Governor’s Environmental
Excellence Award applications are being accepted until
July 15, 2004. Here is the web site for both events which
are held at the same dates. Applications for the awards
can be downloaded off this site. This year there is an
additional category, Land Management Conservation.
http://www.vamanufacturers.com/MIEconfp1.php?event=1921
Thank you,
Marcia Loschiavo, Event Services Manager , Virginia
Manufacturers Association
Ph: 804-643-7489 x16, mloschiavo@vamanufacturers.com
www.vamanufacturers.com
JOB & RESOURCE OPPORTUNITIES
NOPROFIT NAVIGATOR-FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Sign up to receive this free monthly newsletter that contains
excellent advice on nonprofit legalities. It is provided
by Gail Harmon's firm - one of the D.C. firms that specializes
in these issues.
In this month's issue, there is an article on obtaining
sales tax exemptions online in Virginia.
The June 2004 issue of the Nonprofit Navigator has been
posted to the Navigator web site at
http://www.harmoncurran.com/navigator/current.html
Summaries of
this month's articles follow.
FEC delays action on rules to restrict 527s and other
independent advocates
On May 13, the Federal Election Commission unanimously
voted to delay for 90 days consideration of proposed regulations
that would have vastly expanded the regulation of so-called
527 organizations and other independent advocacy groups.
If passed, the regulations could force many nonprofits
to comply with the restrictions imposed on federal political
committees.
Form 990 is latest addition to IRS "e-file"
website.
The IRS "e-file" website now offers a convenient
online filing option for Form 990.
IRS releases warning against 501(c)(3) campaign activity
The IRS has released its usual election-year reminder
that 501(c)(3) organizations may not engage in political
campaign activities.
Minor candidates and voter education activities How charities
conducting nonpartisan voter education work should handle
independent, third-party, or other "minor" candidates
for office.
Back to basics in issue advertising
A Florida television station pulled an environmental organization’s
ad last month based on an accusation of misrepresentation,
serving as a reminder to all organizations who engage
in issue advertising to take precautions to ensure their
ads are accurate and appropriately researched. Virginia
joins 21st century with new tax-exemption procedure
Effective July 1, 2004, all 501(c)(3) and some 501(c)(4)
organizations can qualify for a sales and use tax exemption
in Virginia. A quick online application will update the
formerly cumbersome process.
http://www.harmoncurran.com/navigator/current.html
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: CLEAN WATER
NETWORK DIRECTOR
The Clean Water Network (CWN) seeks an organized, energetic,
individual to direct a successful national coalition dedicated
to strong enforcement and implementation of the Clean
Water Act. CWN facilitates the efforts of more than 1000
national, state and local groups to shape public policy
through a combination of grassroots and national advocacy.
The director has overall responsibility for operations
under the direction of the CWN steering committee. The
director works with CWN members to reach consensus regarding
policy positions; implement campaign strategies; raise
and administer the organizational budget; draft and edit
action alerts, produce a monthly newsletter and other
materials; represent CWN at meetings and events; and supervise
network staff in the performance of their duties.
Candidates should have at least five years of professional
experience, proven coalition-building skills, fundraising
experience and demonstrated leadership ability. Excellent
written and oral communications skills and attention to
detail are essential. Experience in grassroots organizing,
legislative advocacy, media outreach, clean water and
wetlands policy, policy analysis, and/or staff management
preferred. The salary for this position is based on a
nonprofit scale and is commensurate with experience (expected
range is in the 40’s). We offer excellent benefits.
CWN is an independently funded and administered program
of the Natural Resources Defense Council, located at NRDC’s
office in Washington, DC. NRDC/CWN is an equal
opportunity employer and committed to workplace diversity.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
To Apply: Submit a letter of interest, resume, and 1-2
page writing sample (press release, fact sheet or action
alert preferred):
Director Job Search, Clean Water Network
1200 New York Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20015
Email: jklein@nrdc.org, www.cwn.org
POSITION OPENING – LEGISLATIVE
ASSISTANT
This position is for a Legislative Assistant in the office
of the Honorable R. Edward "Edd" Houck, legislator
representing the 17th Senatorial District of Virginia,
which includes the counties of Culpeper, Louisa, Madison,
Orange, Spotsylvania and the City of Fredericksburg.
The Legislative Assistant works primarily from the Senator's
office in Spottsylvania, about 10 minutes south of Fredericksburg.
Hours range between 35 and 40 hours weekly while the General
Assembly is adjourned (March to December). During each
General Assembly Session, the Assistant must travel to,
or arrange housing in Richmond, with a per diem provided
by the Senate of Virginia. Salary and full benefits (insurance,
401k, etc) are provided through the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Qualifications: Experience and skills with managing and
operating an office, including: filing and organization,
record keeping and bookkeeping. Applicants should be highly
organized and motivated. Excellent communications skills
(oral and written) are a must - daily tasks include drafting
letters and emails, taking calls, scheduling appointments,
and, during the Session, meeting in person with constituents
and lobbyists.
Other requirements: Individuals must have more than a
basic working knowledge of Microsoft operating systems
- Windows XP Professional in particular - which includes
setting up printers, peripherals, minor upgrades (software,
RAM) and troubleshooting, and networking. The Legislative
Assistant will administrate one to two office computers.
There is a high volume of mailings, especially during
the Session, so proficiency with Microsoft Office is an
absolute must. Microsoft Word, Access, Outlook, and Excel
will be used on a daily basis. Financial records are on
Quicken software. Ability to maintain a website is expected.
Familiarity with a digital camera is required.
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and
resume either electronically (jobs@senatorhouck.com) or
via post (PO Box 7, Spotsylvania, VA 22553). Specific
questions can be directed to the Senator (ehouck@adelphia.net)
or his current legislative assistant, John Messinger (john@senatorhouck.com)
or by calling 540-786-2782. This position must be filled
prior to August 1, 2004.
***************************
VCN's mission is to protect the Commonwealth's air, lands,
and waters for the benefit of the people, as guaranteed
by the Virginia Constitution.
If
you have an item that should be included on this list,
please send it to Jim Wamsley at jwamsley5@comcast.net
. VCN E-NEWS is emailed the second and fourth Friday
of every month, except during the session when it is weekly.
Deadline for submissions is Thursday.
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