Virginia Coastal Zone Management - Summer/Fall 2008
Laura McKay, program manager (center) with Kim and James Taylor at a reception prior to the May 22 migratory bird benefit concert in Virginia Beach. “Their song is the music of the biosphere,” said Taylor of the neotropical songbirds at a press conference the previous day. (TNC)
Message from the Program Manager
It’s been awhile since our last magazine!
Yes, we’ve been awfully busy this year. The Virginia Coastal Zone Partners Workshop last December was productive. More than 120 partners attended and helped develop ideas for our next focal area, which by vote of the Coastal Policy Team will be “Sustainable Communities” with an emphasis on adapting to climate change and conserving ecologically important lands and waters.
We’ve also completed the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) plan – an-80 page book (see page 8)! The plan ensures Virginia’s continued eligibility to receive CELCP funds from NOAA.
On an entertaining note, we were honored to have my dear friends, Kim and James Taylor, arrange a benefit concert on behalf of our southern tip songbird habitat conservation effort. Kim and James have donated funds for the past few years to our efforts on the Eastern Shore, but the concert in Virginia Beach on May 22 was a real high note! It generated about $200,000 for additional land acquisition on the southern tip.
On another sweet note, the Virginia CZM Program and our four partners in the “Southern Tip Partnership”: Department of Conservation and Recreation, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, US Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy were jointly honored by receiving the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award (Gold) for land conservation. We’ve worked together since 1990 to research habitat needs and protect approximately 24,000 acres of migration stopover habitat.
We have amazing friends!