Think Globally - Act Locally!

Through its advocacy efforts, the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia (ASNV) supports green buildings, air quality, waste management, tree and habitat conservation, water quality and natural landscaping. ASNV also serves on local board committees and commissions to help protect our environment. 

Keeping Track of Richmond:
Committee members traveled to Richmond twice in 2008 and were briefed on a number of environmental issues facing the legislature in this session. These include proposals to:

• run a new power transmission line through our area;
• mine uranium in southern Virginia;
• increase local authority to require developers to preserve and replace trees.

With a solid understanding of the issues, committee members then met with their respective delegates and senators, both at home and in Richmond, to ask that they cast environmentally responsible votes on key proposals.

The General Assembly’s session ended on March 8, 2008 followed by a one-day veto session in April. To learn about the environmental “wins” and “losses,” visit the Virginia Conservation Network’s website, www.vcnva.org.

Whether you are on the committee or not, if you are willing to be on an e-mail alert list to contact a legislator before a key vote (by e-mail, phone, letter, or personal visit), please e-mail Glenda Booth at gbooth123@aol.com. Be sure to provide your telephone number and your postal address. We especially need people from Alexandria, Fairfax City, and Falls Church, and Arlington, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties.

Speaking Up for Parks and Native Habitat:
The Fairfax County Park Authority is having a series of planning meetings in every magisterial district through April 22, 2008 and ASNV Advocacy Committee members are attending them. The meetings are informal and provide the public with a chance to chat with park staff and managers and to fill out brief questionnaires indicating how they use parks and what kind of development they would like to see in the future.

Join us!  This is a great opportunity for ASNV members to urge the county to acquire, preserve, and restore our parks and especially to create more natural resource parks. In a suburban area fast reaching “buildout,” parks remain one of our few opportunities to conserve and restore habitat.

For the schedule of meetings and more information, visit the Fairfax County Great Parks, Great Communities initiative. Contact ASNV Advocacy Chair Glenda Booth at 703-765-5233 or gbooth123@aol.com if you plan to attend a meeting.

Making the Case for Conservation:
ASNV urged the Fairfax County Planning Commission to establish incentives for “green buildings.” The county has committed to using green-building approaches for county buildings and to adopting incentives for private buildings.

Separately, ASNV also urged the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to assure sufficient habitat and wetlands protection in their consideration of a water protection permit sought by Luck Stone Corporation to expand their quarry in Loudoun County. We urged that a habitat assessment be conducted prior to approval of the permit. We are particularly concerned about the impact of this project on Henslow’s Sparrow, a state-threatened bird. The sparrow is also on Audubon’s watchlist, is listed as “near threatened” by Bird Life International, and is listed as one of the state’s most imperiled birds in the Virginia Wildlife Plan.

Check out more Green Opportunities here.

National Issues:

• Special thanks to US Congressman Jim Moran who strongly supports the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia and the Audubon at Home program.
   

• Virginia residents are represented in Congress by 2 Senators and 11 Representatives.  See a list of current contact list for Virginia senators and representatives.
   

• Visit the National Audubon Society to learn about national environmental issues and how you can take action. 
   

• To see where the presidential candidates stand on environmental issues, visit www.ontheissues.org/Environment.htm and www.presidentialprofiles2008.org

Virginia Issues:

• ASNV works closely with the Virginia League of Conservation Voters (VALCV), the statewide nonpartisan political action arm of Virginia's conservation community. Visit www.valcv.org to learn about Virginia’s pending environmental bills, VALCV’s legislative positions, conservation candidates and more.
   

• ASNV is also an active participant in the Virginia Conservation Network (VCN), an organization devoted to advancing a common, environmentally sound vision for Virginia.  Visit VCN’s site at www.vcnva.org for details on legislative priorities, the conservation briefing book and more.
   

• To check on the status of all of Virginia’s bills, visit the Virginia General Assembly Legislative Information System site at http://leg1.state.va.us/

Local Issues:

• ASNV and its advocacy committee are working with the Fairfax County Park Planning Committee and its Great Parks, Great Communities initiative.
   

• The Environmental Quality Advisor Council (EQAC) is an advisory group that has been appointed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to advise the Board on environmental matters.  The public is welcome at meetings.
   

• Fairfax County and Arlington County are part of "Cool Counties", a nationwide initiative seeking to marshal the resources of all 3,066 US counties to address the challenges climate change poses to our communities.
   

• Read about Arlington County Environmental Services.
   

• Find your Virginia local government Web site. 

State and Local Elections:

Visit the Virginia State Board of Elections site at  www.sbe.virginia.gov  for information on registering to vote, where to vote, upcoming elections in your state and local government and more.

Get Involved:

Interested in working on conservation advocacy? Contact ASNV Advocacy Chair Glenda Booth at 703-765-5233 or gbooth123@aol.com.