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Mission: Enhance the ability of RC&D communities to achieve their goals by providing leadership, capacity building opportunities, training and resources.
Vision: Prosperous communities in harmony with the environment through the wise use of natural and human resources.
Goals: Advocating mutual values Enhancing communication Sharing resources Marketing RC&D 100% coverage of VA with RC&D
RC&D Councils are equal opportunity employers and providers. |
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Virginia ASSOCIATION OF Rc&d council’s 2006 annual report |
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Increasing Sales of Locally Grown Products Tourists and local people may see acres of corn growing along Route 13, but it’s not always easy to find fresh local produce for dinner. To overcome that challenge, a group of organizations partnered with the Eastern Shore RC&D Council, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and the Eastern Shore Tourism Commission to create a guide to local businesses selling Eastern Shore grown fruits, vegetables, garden plants, wine and seafood. Twenty seven businesses, including two wineries, are listed in the newly published “Grown on Virginia’s Eastern Shore” guide. Ten thousand copies were distributed to hotels, visitor centers and restaurants. Mason Beach Fruit farm offers a pick-your-own orchard with apricots, apples, blackberries, and blueberries. Customers come from as far away as Washington, D.C. to buy crawfish from Jibbey Point farm during the summer. For a few Saturdays in June and July, customers can wander through Sterrett’s Daylily Garden marveling at every color and shape of flower imaginable. Plants are dug the same day they are selected. A frequent comment by people who have lived their entire life on the Eastern Shore is that they never knew these places were right here – until they picked up the brochure. |
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Fighting Litter Successfully Nine counties and two cities within “far” Southwest Virginia continue to garner national attention of their successful multi-year “War on Litter” campaign! Keep America Beautiful, Inc., Associated Press, television stations across the nation and the USA Today spread the word about this regional effort during 2006. Black Diamond RC&D Council kicked off this campaign in 2003. Since then, over 1,300 illegal dumpsites have been mapped; 150 dumpsites have been cleaned up; nine of the eleven local governments have implemented the Assign-A-Highway Program; two litter summits have been held; and the Wise/Norton General District Court established the first Environmental Court in Virginia to hear litter cases with fines levied up to $5,000 per conviction. |
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J. E. J. Moore Middle School Outdoor Classroom and Nature Trail In an effort to help educate our youth about nature and its importance to our lives, South Centré Corridors RC&D Council worked with volunteers from J. E. J. Moore Middle School to develop a nature trail/outdoor classroom. This trail is approximately ¾ of a mile in length. It begins in an upland wooded location, then winds down to an isolated wetland and small amphitheatre. This trail offers a wonderful opportunity for all teachers of Prince George County Schools to give students an outdoor experience, while learning about our natural environment. On August 7th, science teachers from ten Prince George County Schools completed training on how to best utilize the Outdoor Classroom/Nature Trail. The teachers were aided in learning by resource professionals at five separate stations along the trail in aquatics, wildlife, watersheds, soils, and forestry. |
