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Protecting, restoring, and strengthening our coastal ecosystems and economy

Get Involved! Here are a few things you can do to help protect and enjoy Virginia's coast!

Thank the Ocean


There are actions we all take every day that can help to keep our ocean a healthy and thriving place. Link to the Thank You Ocean campaign site for examples of small steps that you can take to do your part in ocean conservation and reduce energy consumption. It can be your way to say “Thank you ocean”.

Help Singer James Taylor Keep Songbirds Singing

Singer and songwriter James Taylor donated $200,000 in proceeds from his May 2008 concert in Virginia Beach to help protect migratory songbird habitat on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

Their song is the music of the biosphere, describes Taylor.

You can join James Taylor in this effort.  Make a donation to help this critical Eastern Shore habitat.  Go to The Nature Conservancy's website at www.nature.org.

Are you a resident of the Eastern Shore? Plant ES Native!

Join other gardeners throughout Accomack and Northampton County who are participating in the new Plant ES Natives Campaign!

Help preserve critical Eastern Shore habitat by preserving and planting trees and shrubs that provide the insects and berries these migrating birds need for energy to complete their journey. Learn more about the Plant ES Natives Campaign...

Do you enjoy diving and snorkeling! Help restore Seaside seagrasses!


Volunteer to help collect up to 10 million eelgrass seeds in the meadows of South Bay on the Seaside of Virginia's Eastern Shore!

When: Mid-May - Mid-June, 2009 (exact dates to be determined in mid-May)

Over 100 local community volunteers needed!

You must pre-register in order to participate in the restoration project. Contact Jennifer Rich, The Nature Conservany volunteer coordinator, at 434-951-0572 or jrich@tnc.org

To learn more visit www.nature.org/seagrassrestoration

 

Stewardship Campaign Highlight

Chesapeake Club

"Save the Crabs, then Eat Em!"

Chesapeake Club educating homeowners about the Bay's nutrient pollution problem in a humorous way. 

The Chesapeake Club campaign urges Bay watershed residents to hold off on fertilizing their lawns until the fall, when rainstorms are less frequent and the ground is better able to absorb nutrients contained in fertilizer. This helps protect the Bay's remaining blue crab population, which has been declining in recent years.

To help save the seafood, Chesapeake Club offers yard care tips so you can create a blue crab-friendly lawn. And if you'd rather leave it up to the professionals, there are a growing number of lawn care providers offering the Chesapeake Club standard of yard care.

So skip the lawn fertilizer in the spring. Because is the grass really greener if all the blue crabs are gone?

Ocean Stewardship

 

Six Degrees to the Ocean -

An Ocean Conservancy website takes the "six degrees of separation" concept and marries it with the ocean.  The theory is that any headline appearing in the news can somehow relate back to the ocean within six steps of connection.  The activity illustrates just what a small world we live in and how integral the ocean is to our world.

http://oceanconservancy.org/site/

News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10981

 

Protect Virginia's Marine Animals - Tips from the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Research Center Stranding Response Team

Protect the oceans from harmful marine debris - http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/welcome.html
Promoting individual responsibility, NOAA has partnered with the Advertising Council, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Environmental Defense, and the Disney Studios to deliver an ocean health message that underscores the cause and effect of human behavior. Featuring scenes and characters from "The Little Mermaid", the new public service announcements drive home the message that "life in the oceans depends on you." Routine activities alone bring 6.4 million tons of debris, mostly plastics, to our oceans each year.

 

Coastal Stewardship Event Highlights

Virginia Waterways Cleanup -- Sept. 1- Oct. 31 Annually

Clean Virginia Waterways (a program of Longwood University)  schedules more than 150 river and beach cleanups in the fall – please visit the CVW web site to learn about a cleanup near you that needs your help! Sign up as a Site Captain! Any school, church, business, group, family or organization can signup to host a local cleanup. Please view the list of cleanup events on the Web at http://longwood.edu/cleanva/aboutcvw.htm.

If your town or county doesn't’t have a cleanup event, please help this great statewide event by volunteering as a Site Captain!

The annual Virginia Waterways Cleanup is part of the International Coastal Cleanup, which is the world’s largest volunteer effort to collect data on litter and trash in the aquatic environment! Cleanup events are held on the coasts, AND inland, since inland litter often ends up in our oceans. To learn more about the Virginia Waterways Cleanup, please visit the Clean Virginia Waterways web site.

Virginia & World Water Quality Monitoring Day

During September through October, citizens of Virginia join in Virginia & World Water Monitoring Day, a statewide opportunity to positively impact the health of rivers, lakes, estuaries and other waterbodies. Volunteer monitoring groups, water quality agencies, students, and the general public are invited to test four key indicators of water quality: temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity.

Just Follow These 4 Simple Steps!

Step 1: Register your site. Choose any lake, stream, bay, or other waterbody where you can safely monitor. Register your site with both the Virginia and the World Water Monitoring Day Websites by contacting Dana Roberts dana.roberts@vaswcd.org  or Gary Speiran gary.speiran@usgs.gov 

Step 2: Prepare your monitoring equipment. Use your own equipment or obtain an easy-to-use test kit free of charge by contacting James Beckley  jebeckley@deq.virginia.gov.  Kit contains an informative instruction book and reagents to repeat up to 50 tests.

Step 3: Monitor your site. Invite others to help you monitor or do it yourself. Visit your site anytime from September 18 through October 18 to test the water. Remember, safety first !

Step 4: Report your data. You did the work, so let us know about your water. You can submit your results by returning back to where you registered your site in the first place. Results may be entered anytime from September 18 through November 18 for inclusion in the annual Virginia Water Monitoring Day summary reports.

The Virginia Water Monitoring Day 2007 web site includes statewide events, tools for teachers/schools, statewide contacts and 2007 map and summary of data.  

 

New Coastal Stewardship Website Highlight

Ecosystem Valuation ---

This website describes how economists value the beneficial ways that ecosystems affect people.  It is designed for non-economists who need answers to questions about the benefits of ecosystem conservation, preservation or restoration.  It provides a clear, non-technical explanation of ecosystem valuation concepts, methods and applications.

 

New Coastal Stewardship Publication Highlight

Restoring Virginia's Wetlands - A Citizen's Toolkit

Restoring Virginia's Wetlands - A Citizen's Toolkit

Promotes the Voluntary Protection, Enhancement, Restoration and Creation of wetlands - prepared in partnership with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), through a grant award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Wetlands Program Development Grants initiative. Guides viewers through the background information necessary to understand wetland functions and values.

It provides useful information to Virginia's landowners, both private and public, on the status of wetlands, various options for the use and management of their wetlands, current regulatory protection as well as voluntary efforts, and technical and financial resources for protection, enhancement, restoration and creation projects. Included within the ToolKit are basics regarding wetland identification, types and classification as well as a section discussing types of wetland monitoring. Available on-line and in hardcopy. Go to ... Restoring Virginia's Wetlands - A Citizen's Toolkit

Especially For Students...

NOAA has recently launched a new website for student internship,
scholarship and other opportunities. This is a great new one-stop shop
for information on all the great NOAA-funded opportunities. Check it out
online http://oesd.noaa.gov/noaa_student_opps.html.

Help Restore Oyster Reefs and Seagrass Beds to Our Coastal Waters

 

Prevent Excessive Erosion - Think Green and Living Shorelines

Help Protect Habitat and Open Space - Put Conservation Easements on Your Property!


Plant Native Trees and Shrubs and Flowers for Wildlife Habitat and Riparian Buffers

 

Help Control Invasive Plant Species

  • Control Phragmiteson your property

    --- this non-native species chokes out Virginia's beneficial natives! Learn how to control its spread.  Go to...

  • Citizen's Guide to Invasive Plant Control

    --- Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay provides a citizen's guide that gives an overview of invasive plant control methods in riparian and wetland settings and offers information on volunteer recruitment, deployment and retention. The guide is free but to cover postage cost, a charge of $2.00 will be applied per guidebook. To order copies of the publication contact Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay - (804) 775-0951 or email.

 

Increase Your Knowledge of Virginia's Maritime History and Help Protect these Resources

Captain John Smith Trail


Support wildlife watching and other forms of ecotourism

Become a Volunteer Citizen Water Quality Monitor

  • Virginia Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Program July 2003 Methods Manual Available On-Line!

    --- Hundreds of Virginians volunteer their time to monitor the quality of Virginia's waterways. Becoming a volunteer monitor is easy. No special background is needed and any age group can participate. An existing organization working in your local watershed is a good place to start. Local organizations can usually provide the training and equipment needed. To find out if there is an existing program in your local watershed, contact the Virginia Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Program at (804) 698-4000 or toll free in Virginia (800) 592-5482.

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Become a Chesapeake Steward

  • VoiCeS (Volunteers as Chesapeake Stewards)

    --- This 8 week adult education course, offered by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, includes a series of in-depth volunteer training classes.  Following this training, participants are asked to perform a minimum 40 hours of volunteer service for a Bay-related project over the subsequent six months. Successful graduates will receive CBF’s designation as a “Chesapeake Steward.”  The course is free with a materials fee and advanced registration is required.  Contact CBF for more information about future courses at 757-622-1964 or cmoore@cbf.org.

Alert Officials to Fish Kills, Oil and Toxic Chemical Spills

Identify Common Wildlife in Your Area

  • Participate in a Wildlife Mapping Program

    Virginia Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries, (804) 367-8747

  • Share what you see on the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail

    --- The on-line guide to the coastal section of the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail features loop discussion lists for travelers to post information about unusual and interesting sightings, and an online tool for service providers to use to add themselves to the list of Services for a loop (check at the bottom of the Services section of any site). Your comments and suggestions for enhancements are welcome.

  • Participate in a coastal dolphin count

    Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center

  • --- (757) 437-4949

     

Use Your Water Wisely!

  • Water - Use It Wisely

    --- public awareness campaign for water conservation education and information.  It is now part of Hampton Roads environmental education programs. 

 

Learn About Septic System Placement and Maintenance

  • Check the blue pages of the telephone book for your county health department

 

Participate in Environmental Education

  • Join Virginia Naturally

    --- Visit Virginia Naturally on-line to learn what this statewide environmental education initiative offers and what membership can do for your organization

  • Discover, Learn and Teach more about the ocean and our coastal resources
  • Join the Mid-Atlantic Marine Educators Association

    --- The goal of the Mid-Atlantic Marine Educators Association is to improve education about all aspects of marine and aquatic environments.

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Participate in Recycling and Litter/Trash Removal

  • Participate in the the International Coastal Cleanup
    • International Coastal Clean-up - Virginia Campaign

      --- Every September and October, volunteers across Virginia gather along our shorelines to pick up trash. Using "International Coastal Cleanup Data Cards" from the Ocean Conservancy, they also help collect valuable information about the amounts, types and sources of debris found along Virginia's waterways. Participate in a clean-up near you or organize a clean-up in your area! Visit the Clean Virginia Waterways website (Virginia ICC Coordinator) for a list of registered sites or to register a new cleanup site.

  • Live in the Hampton Roads Area? - Check out the many litter and recycling  programs available to you! - Go to http://hrclean.org/
  • Learn more about marine pollution and what you can do to help
    • Ocean Conservancy
    • Virginia Council for Litter Prevention and Recycling

    • --- (804) 476-3308 (Sharon Smith/President)

    • Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

    • --- (804) 775-0951

    • Adopt-A-Stream

    • --- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

    • Join a local Stewardship Virginia cleanup

      --- statewide initiative, organized by the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation twice each year (Spring and Fall), to help citizens with projects that enhance water quality, control invasive species, improve recreational resources, preserve historic and cultural resources, preserve natural heritage resources, educate people about recreational, historical, cultural, wildlife and water resources, improve wildlife habitat (formerly Operation Spruce and Fall River Renaissance Campaigns. Start your own volunteer event or join an existing event.

Increase Your Knowledge of Our Ocean Resources

  • The Ocean Resource Center Page

  • --- an Ocean Project website - This page links to ocean conservation and education websites, news, scientific literature, books and reports, videos and films, and more. (The Ocean Project is an international network of aquariums, zoos, museums, and conservation organizations working to create an understanding among their visitors and members of the significance of the oceans and the role each person plays in conserving our ocean planet for the future.)

  • Ocean Conservancy

  • NASA Oceanography Learning Website

    --- NASA Oceanography has launched and sponsors several informative programs and projects designed to increase ocean literacy among learners of all ages and backgrounds.

 

Participate in Local Environmental Festivals

  • Eastern Shore Birding Festival

    --- Northampton Chamber of Commerce, (757) 678-0010 (October)

  • Green Sea Festival

    --- Celebrating the southern watersheds of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake (Fall) - Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, (757) 420-8300

  • Gloucester River Fest (Spring)

    --- Gloucester County Community Development, (804) 693-4040

  • Dragon Run Watershed (Fall)

    --- Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission, (804)

  • Surf and Turf (formerly Bay Days)

    --- Science Museum of Virginia - (804) 367-6552 (early Spring)

  • Other festivals and events

    --- Virginia Tourism Website - Dept. of Economic Development, Tourism Office, (804) 371-8100

 

Recycle Your Oil and Antifreeze/Dispose of Pesticides and Household Chemicals Properly

 

Help Reduce and Prevent Pollution

 

Volunteer at a Virginia State Park

  • Virginia State Parks rely on volunteers to help run the parks and manage their natural resources - learn more...

 

Visit the Virginia Naturally website for more ideas and a calendar of upcoming stewardship events!

 

Other websites to check out...

EPA Chesapeake Bay Program

 

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For comments or questions concerning this program's web pages, contact the Web Author.

This web site is provided by the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program through a federal Coastal Zone Management Act grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Department of Commerce.