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Virginia C apitol C onnections, Winter 2015 11
More happenings at DCR Public –Private Partnerships
The Virginia Association for Parks and the Garden Club of Virginia are working together with Virginia State
Parks to raise $5 million in private funding for what is the largest public-private collaboration in the 80-year
history of the state park system. The six-year campaign, called the Partnership for Parks, is endorsed by Gov.
Terry McAuliffe and First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe. The campaign’s bipartisan steering committee includes
retired Senators John Chichester and Mary Margaret Whipple, as well as former Delegates Jim Dillard, Tayloe Murphy, Harvey Morgan
and Preston Bryant. The effort will provide state park visitor centers with innovative and engaging exhibits that will interpret our state’s
cultural and natural history for all age groups while promoting a healthy active lifestyle for citizens. One component of the project is the
Outdoor Challenge, an exhibit that promotes a variety of healthy outdoor activities at each park and encourages involvement through a
simple, point-based challenge. For more information, visit .
The Richmond Regional Ride Center is a collaborative effort to address the public demand for outdoor recreation areas and facilities
in Central Virginia and a legacy project of the Richmond 2015 UCI World Cycling Championships. The goal is to rehabilitate
15 miles of existing mountain bike trail at Pocahontas State Park and construct an additional 20 miles. Combined with
existing world-class trails in Richmond’s James River Park System, the new trails at Pocahontas State Park will give
the region more than 70 miles of offroad cycling.
The Richmond Regional Ride Center will be unique in that it will include facilities that will cater to
individuals with disabilities. The Paralyzed Veterans of America, Mid-Atlantic Chapter is seeking to bring
awareness to adaptive sports, especially handcycling, and the RRRC will help to accomplish this goal. The
RRRC will provide the disabled community a safe place to handcycle, an increased support system and a way to build confidence to live
an active, healthy lifestyle. This project is a state and regional partnership involving DCR, the Virginia Association for Parks, the City of
Richmond, Chesterfield County, the International Mountain BikeAssociation, the ParalyzedVeterans of America, the Friends of Pocahontas
State Park, Richmond MORE, and Sportsbackers. Early corporate sponsors include Dominion, Altria, Ukrop’s and MeadWestvaco. For
more information visit, .
In 2001, DCR staff founded The Foundation of the Flora of Virginia Project Inc. to gather private support
and resources to produce a manual of all Virginia plants—a tool sorely needed by DCR field staff and other natural
resources personnel. In 2012, the manual was published and is already in its second printing. The Flora of Virginia
Project is now working on an app to provide the Flora to a much wider audience. DCR will continue to support this
$250,000 effort so that more people will have a tool for understanding Virginia’s plants. For more information visit,
Also during the meeting, the first certificate of resource
management plan implementation was presented to Clem and Keith
Horsley of Gloucester County. Resource management plans encourage
farmers to use a high level of conservation practices to reduce nutrient
pollution. The plans are integral to Virginia’s strategy to clean up
local waters and the Chesapeake Bay. The Horsleys, owners of
Holly Springs Farm, are the first Virginians to implement a resource
management plan.
By ensuring the proper and safe design , construction, operation
and maintenance of dams, DCR helps protect lives and property. In
2014, the General Assembly passed—and the governor signed—
legislation that authorized a new study to be completed by Dec. 1,
2015, of Virginia’s probable maximum precipitation, or PMP.
The major cost for many owners of dams classified as significant
or high hazard is for the rehabilitation of their emergency spillways to
meet capacity requirements based on the PMP. Existing high-hazard
dams are required to pass a rainfall event greater than the maximum
recorded in the Commonwealth. This shall be deemed to be 90 percent
of the maximum precipitation. Existing significant-hazard dams must
pass 50 percent of the PMP.
A new study may reduce PMP values, which, in turn, could
reduce or eliminate costs to dam owners for emergency spillway
rehabilitation. Since the existing PMP data for Virginia is about 40
years old, additional storms can be analyzed and modern tools and
methodologies employed.
In May 2014, Applied Weather Associates was contracted for the
PMP study. DCR established a review panel of experts and cooperating
state and federal agencies to provide expertise throughout the study. To
date, the review panel has met twice, and the study is on track to be
completed by Dec. 1.
Julie Buchanan is the Acting Public Relations Manager for the
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Secretary of Natural
Resources Molly Ward
and DCR Director Clyde
Cristman put in a canoe at
Crow’s Nest Natural Area
Preserve in Stafford County.
DCR Natural Area Protection Manager Larry Smith discusses plants during a
field trip to Mill Creek Springs Natural Area Preserve in Montgomery County.
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