Dear Friends,

A round of applause for all of you. The environmental community is moving forward! With the budget finalized, we can exhale knowing that Virginians will benefit from the largest one-time investment ever in Virginia's waters - over $200 million. We can celebrate the Governor's recent amendments to protect Virginia's land preservation tax credit - a demonstration of his commitment to protecting 400,000 acres during his 4-year administration. We can feel good that Virginians' hope for better communities and less traffic was acknowledged by proposals to better connect land use and transportation in the Governor's office and both houses of the General Assembly this year. Perhaps most importantly, anecdotes are pouring in from Loudoun to Hampton Roads about the unprecedented citizen involvement at the local level about the future of our communities.

No matter where we live in Virginia, these success stories are empowering. They remind us that when we see meaningful public involvement in decision making, the outcomes are vastly improved. VCN member organizations and supporters are leading these efforts in every region in Virginia. The willingness of these dedicated organizations and individuals to share their lessons learned is equally as remarkable. Connecting organizations and individuals with similar goals remains one of VCN's top priorities, and I have been proud to learn from and share so many successes of the past 18 months.

As I pass the torch and head to new opportunities, I am positive that Virginia is well-positioned for imminent leaps in better land use and resource conservation. That said, I have three requests for each of you to help keep the momentum going:

1) Congratulate environmental heroes. Be they decision-makers, advocates, or the press, publicly reward those who are leading the charge so that they continue to serve as leaders in the future.

2) Share your passion with children. If we fail to connect young people with nature, we are failing ourselves...our energy, time and efforts to protect natural resources will all be for naught.

3) Celebrate each victory, no matter how small! It is easy to get discouraged when you focus solely on the endgoal. For every success along the way (your letter to the editor got printed or you get two of your neighbors to call your local supervisor) be sure to reward yourself with a walk in the woods, a weekend bike ride or some reminder of the reason you care.

Thanks to each of you for your passion, energy, and commitment. I look forward to the victories to come!

Carey Whitehead
Outgoing Executive Director

9,000 MILES OF VIRGINIA's RIVERS POLLUTED
Latest 'Dirty Waters' List Reveals More Problems
July 11, 2006 - RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH
Nearly 9,000 miles of Virginia's rivers and streams are polluted, a new state report says. That's 63 percent of the waters checked. The dirty waters are up from 6,931 miles, or 61 percent, in 2004, when the last report came out. "As we continue to look more closely, we are finding that pollution is affecting waters across the state," said Bill Hayden, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Quality. BY REX SPRINGSTON

NATIVE AMERICANS MAKE HISTORIC VOYAGE
With Trip to England, VA Tribes Seek a Place in U.S. History
July 13, 2006 - WASHINGTON POST
In the history books, there is the story of Pocahontas, the lovely Indian maiden who became a Christian, married an Englishman in Virginia and sailed away with him to England. Beyond that, there is little mention of the Virginia Indians who greeted the first settlers...and so it was with a measure of astonishment to some onlookers that the chiefs of Virginia's eight remaining tribes and many of their members gathered yesterday at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington in a "departure ceremony" to bless their trip to England...BY BRIGID SCHULTE

July 24, LOUDOUN COUNTY PUBLIC HEARING
beginning at 3:00 p.m. until 10p.m
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission are scheduled to hold a joint public hearing on proposed amendments to the rural policies of the county's Comprehensive Plan on Monday, July 24, 2006, beginning at 3:00 p.m. in the Board Room of the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E. in Leesburg. The Board and Commission are scheduled to take a dinner break and resume the public hearing at 6:00 p.m. 
 
The Board has scheduled a special meeting on Thursday, July 27, 2006, beginning at 6:30 p.m., to take action on the proposed amendments.  

VISIT www.loudounsfuture.org for more information

HAVE FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME ON THE JAMES RIVER
Go To: www.jamesriveradvisorycouncil.com for more information

BECOME A VIRGINIA CERTIFIED MASTER NATURALIST
Virginia's Master Naturalist Program, which made its debut this spring offers certification for volunteers engaged in educational outreach and services dedicated to the beneficial managment of natural resources and historic areas within their community. A certified naturalist attains certification through training courses in ecology and natural history and at least 40 hours of service a year.

To Locate Your Nearest Naturalist Chapter visit www.virginiamasternaturalist.org.

VOLUNTEER TO SUPPORT VIRGINIA'S ENVIRONMENT BY JOINING A LEGISLATIVE CONTACT TEAM

Virginia Conservation Network and Virginia League of Conservation Voters- Education Fund are in the biggest recruitment year ever for building our Legislative Contact Teams! Imagine the unified power of 3 to 4 individuals in every State House and Senate District in Virginia, conveying key conservation issues to their representatives.

If you are interested in building a relationship with your legislators and learning how to make sure conservation is their priority--then join a Legislative Contact Team! To learn more about the LCT program, check out the LCT Homepage or call Mike at VALCV-EF or Suzanne at VCN- contact information is listed below.

Mike Kaestner, Program Coordinator
Virginia League of Conservation Voters – Education Fund
530 East Main Street, Suite 820
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: (804) 225-1902
Fax: (804) 225-1904
Email: mkaestner@valcv.org

Or

Suzanne Ankrum, Program Coordinator
Virginia Conservation Network
422 E. Franklin Street, Suite 303
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: (804) 644-0283
Fax (804) 644-0286
Email: suzanne@vcnva.org

NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE FRIENDS GROUP GRANT PROGRAM
Deadline: September 1, 2006
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, provides seed grants to innovative proposals that seek to increase the number and effectiveness of organizations interested in assisting the refuge system nationwide.
Find Out More: www.nfwf.org/programs/nwrgp.cfm