Text Box: LIVESTOCK PROCESSING FACILITY FEASIBILITY STUDY— Text Box: The RC&D Council assisted local livestock producers in developing a feasibility study and business plan for a livestock processing facility for the local beef industry. The RC&D Council hosted a Direct Marketing/Value Added Workshop for area producers. Twenty six people attended the workshop facilitated by Mike Lorentz of Lorentz Meats. The topics included: definitions and scope of the opportunity; preparing for success/how to select a meat processor; value chain and processors; product yield and pricing. Text Box: Completed RC&D Projects: Text Box: To help demonstrate how a rain garden works, the New River-Highlands RC&D Council partnered with the Virginia Department of Forestry to create a scale model rain garden exhibit. Although this scale model is a dramatically simplified version of an actual rain garden, it demonstrates how rain gardens benefit water quality, and how conventional landscaping designs may not fully address the water quality impacts from storm water runoff. The scale model was displayed at the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Regional Garden Faire in Abingdon, VA (a regional event that draws several thousand visitors annually) and the Greenways and Trail Conference in Radford, VA. The model rain garden will be available for display/live presentation to various community groups, schools, and civic clubs throughout the New River-Highlands RC&D Council’s Service Area. Text Box: RAIN GARDEN MODEL/DISPLAY— Text Box: This project was a joint effort with the New River Valley Planning District Commission and other partners. The Conference was a three-day workshop featuring trail organization, funding sources, trail maintenance, economic impacts and benefits of trails and green infrastructure, and planning and design of trails. Text Box: GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE TRAILS CONFERENCE— Text Box: This project included the development of a three staged Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Implementation Plan (IP) for Beaver and Little Creeks. Each plan addressed fecal coliform and general standards (benthics) impairments. The Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation Plan included a description of Best Management Practices and associated costs; technical assistance needs; timeline; identification of funding sources; a description of past and future tracking and monitoring activities; and a list of milestones. Text Box: BEAVER & LITTLE CREEK TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD IMPLEMENTATION PLAN— Text Box: New River-Highlands Resource Conservation and Development Council’s 2007 Annual Report

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NEW RIVER HIGHLANDS RC&D | RC&D MAPS | ANNUAL PLAN OF WORK | Annual Report

 | VA ASSOCIATION RC&D | RC&D SUCCESS STORIES | CALENDAR | EVENTS | COUNCIL MEMBERS & SPONSORS | DIRECTORY OF RELATED LINKS
Text Box: FORESTRY SATELLITE SHORT COURSE/PREPARING FOR THE NEXT OWNER— Text Box: The RC&D Council teamed up with the VA Cooperative Extension Service, VA Department of Forestry and Clemson University to offer a real estate planning workshop for landowners. The three-evening course was designed for landowners concerned about the legal and emotional challenges associated with passing their land to the next owner, with a special emphasis on farm and forest land. Topics included: the importance of having a clear title, intergenerational transfer strategies, heir properties, conservation easements, charitable giving and ownership by families or partners. As a landowner, you invest much time and effort managing and improving your land. But what happens to the land when you are no longer the owner? With careful estate planning, farm and forest land decisions can be kept in the family and out of courts and avoid unnecessary taxes. Conservation easements ensure the rural character of the landscape; while charitable giving creates a legacy that lasts longer than a lifetime.

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