Lightning Updates
Holistic Approach Needed for Planning Energy Projects
A new report prepared by the Environmental Law Institute for the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership recommends specific actions that Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia may consider to address the impacts of proposed energy projects while improving land conservation...
Reclaiming History
The Washington Post reported last week on new findings about the extent of the Rappahannock Tribe's vast range and standing within the Chesapeake region. Archaeologist Julia King and Scott Strickland, an expert in geographic information systems, have used...
See How Climate is Changing at the County Level
The Bay Journal reported recently on a new tool displaying climate changes at the county level for most of the Chesapeake watershed and the northeast US. An interactive map allows the user to hover over a county and see trends in temperature, precipitation and growing...
Virginia Governor Signs Order to Address Climate Threats
Last Friday (November 2), Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed an executive order setting out steps to improve resiliency to sea-level rise and natural hazards associated with climate change. Perhaps the most significant element of the order is the directive to...
One Billion for Land and Ocean Conservation
Today's New York Times includes an opinion piece by philanthropist Hansjörg Wyss in which he pledges to donate $1 billion over the next decade to land and ocean conservation. Wyss is motivated by both the negative--the startling ongoing loss of biodiversity--and the...
Key Fones Cliffs Property Under Contract for Conservation
The Bay Journal reports The Conservation Fund and landowner Terrell Bowers confirmed last week that Bowers' 250 acre property on Fones Cliffs is under contract for conservation. Bowers had approval to develop the property into 47 residential housing units and, more...
Please Send Conservation Success Stories!
The Chesapeake Conservation Partnership is assembling success stories for a "State of Chesapeake Conservation" report--and we need your help! We are looking for your best conservation success stories of the last twelve months -- the Chesapeake watershed conservation...
Proposed IRS Rule Change Threatens Land Conservation
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is proposing a new rule that would have a significant negative impact on land conservation, especially in Virginia. The proposal would change past IRS guidance and treat all state tax credits issued for a donation as quid pro quo...
2018 Photo Contests Illustrate Conservation Values
Every year Chesapeake organizations and public agencies sponsor photo contests challenging the public to capture the most compelling images of public lands, wildlife and special places. The results are pretty spectacular. Here's a sampling of a few of this year's...
Maryland Expands Rural Legacy Program
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recently announced $25 million in Rural Legacy Program grants and the creation of new and expanded Rural Legacy Areas. Maryland's Rural Legacy Program "provides funding to preserve large, contiguous tracts of land and to...
