From Local Lands to Federal Policy: NVCT Advocates for Conservation

NVCT is generally known for its local conservation work, but our mission certainly cannot be realized without state and even federal policies and funding to advance land and water protection in our region. 

Recently our executive director helped lead a group of Virginia conservation advocates on a day of Capitol Hill meetings with many of Virginia’s Congressional delegation to discuss pressing environmental issues that impact us all. The day was a part of a nationwide fly-in hosted by the Land Trust Alliance in which organizations like ours from all across the country meet their legislators and push for bills and funding that allow us to protect more of the places we all love. 

The Virginia advocacy group met with representatives from Congressman Don Beyer, Eugene Vindman and Suhas Subramanyam’s offices as well as Senator Kaine. Congressman Rob Wittman also personally met with the team for 45 minutes to discuss how we can work together to safeguard our lands and waters. All other Virginia congressional offices were visited and important materials dropped off. 

Issues that were discussed in these meetings included funding in upcoming Farm Bill negotiations for key land and agricultural conservation programs, the impacts of very harmful funding and staffing cuts at the National Park Service and other land management agencies, and the need for strong funding levels for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) federal acquisition program. Siting and the regulation of data center and solar energy development were also major topics for discussion. 

Just several days after the Capitol Hill advocacy meetings, NVCT joined with other environmental partner organizations to attend and support a press conference held in Prince William Forest Park at which Congressman Vindman detailed how devastating the funding and staffing cuts to our National Parks have been and continue to be. Vindman, lawmakers decry federal environmental rollbacks | Headlines | insidenova.com   

Hosted by Virginia League of Conservation Voters, the press conference was an important opportunity to stand with federal employees and agencies working to protect our shared natural legacy during very uncertain times. Our National Parks and public lands are huge economic generators in local communities, and as summer nears, more and more visitors will be flocking to these amazing places for all of the wonders they provide. We must make sure they have the staff and resources to handle the visitors and keep these natural gems safe for future generations. 

Even as a regional land trust, NVCT has learned through the years that all of our lands – from iconic National Parks to small urban green spaces – are connected through important policies and funding that must be grown and maintained. Our federal representatives in Congress need to hear from us how much of a priority our lands and waters are, and we were proud to do that through these two recent events.