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The Nature Conservancy Applauds Bush Administration’s Support for Virginia’s Nottoway River Forest Legacy Project in FY 2008 Budget

Richmond, VA— February 8, 2007 — The Nature Conservancy today applauded President Bush’s inclusion of $1.5 million for the Virginia Department of Forestry’s Nottoway River project in his funding request for the Forest Legacy Program for Fiscal Year 2008.

These federal funds will conserve forest land that helps protect drinking water for thousands of residents in the Hampton Roads region. Securing protection of forest cover in the Nottoway river watershed, especially intact forested wetlands, also helps reduce the likelihood of catastrophic flooding for landowners and businesses in the region. 

“We are pleased that despite such tight budgetary constraints this year the President has requested this funding,” said Michael Lipford, director of The Nature Conservancy’s Virginia chapter. “The Nottoway River is home to some of Virginia’s most important forested wetlands and old-growth forest habitats. This funding will help ensure that this precious landscape will continue to thrive and provide numerous benefits to our local communities.”

Along with applauding the Bush administration for including funding for the Nottoway River in his budget, Lipford also commended Congressman J. Randy Forbes for his interest in a comprehensive examination of the causes and possible solutions to flooding problems in the Nottoway River watershed.

“Preserving the forest cover in the Nottoway River watershed is a valuable step in what must be a multi-pronged approach to reduce the likelihood of future flooding in both the Chowan River Basin and the Nottoway River watershed,” said U.S. Rep. J. Randy Forbes. “And it is clear that a study is required to determine why this area is experiencing new trends in flooding.”

The Forest Legacy Program is a partnership between the United States Forest Service (USFS), state governments and private landowners that identifies and protects ecologically important forest habitat which is threatened by possible development or unsustainable practices. Program objectives are met through land acquisition or the use of conservation easements, which protect working forests while meeting important conservation goals. 

Since its first appropriations in Fiscal Year 1992, the Forest Legacy Program has conserved nearly one and a half million acres across 35 states and territories. This program has also provides excellent leverage of the forest conservation federal investment by protecting over $607 million of land value with a Federal investment of $301 million.

The Bush Administration’s Forest Legacy Program budget is part of the larger Fiscal Year 2008 funding bill for the Department of the Interior and the USFS.

Southeastern Virginia’s rivers, extensive wetlands and forests are home to centuries-old cypress swamps, rare longleaf pine, and a rich mix of freshwater mussels and fish.  The five major rivers of the region - the North Landing, Northwest, Meherrin, Nottoway, and Blackwater rivers - serve as important wildlife corridors and are the focus of the Conservancy's Southern Rivers Program.  Through creative partnerships, land acquisition, ecological management, and other conservation strategies, the Conservancy works to secure lasting protection of important lands in these watersheds. In September 2006, The Nature Conservancy in Virginia completed a conservation land deal with International Paper involving 20,830 acres of forestland in Sussex, Surry, Isle of Wight and Southampton counties in Virginia.

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.