Virginia is truly a beautiful and irreplaceable state to call home. From the Shenandoah Valley to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia boasts an abundance of unparalleled natural beauty, scenic vistas and historic sites.
It’s vitally important for future generations of Virginians to enjoy the same access to these precious resources that we do today, because open space lost tomorrow is open space lost forever.
This is why we advocate for strong land protections at the General Assembly. By preserving our land resources, we help ensure healthy communities and quality of life throughout the commonwealth now and into the future.
Virginia LCV is a strong advocate for preserving open space. In our state, this takes place through three main land conservation programs: the Virginia Land Conservation Fund, Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund and Virginia Farmland Preservation Fund.
Together, these land acquisition programs are essential to conservation efforts in the Commonwealth by helping fund the purchase and preservation of the Commonwealth’s open spaces and parklands, lands of historic or cultural significance, farmland and forest, and natural areas. The Commonwealth’s resources attract and inspire people from around the globe and they must be protected.
Sadly, funding for open space protections is often the first to go during contentious budget negotiations at our state capitol.
But still, whether it’s protecting open space, farmland or historic sites, we remain committed to ensuring these special places remain special in Virginia.
Our state park system showcases the best that Virginia’s natural environment has to offer and, on a daily basis, unites Virginia citizens and tourists with nature at 36 pristine sites across the commonwealth.
Virginia LCV advocates for funding to keep these parks functional and accessible. We also push for expanding our parks system to encompass new land and special sites, which helps ensure open access to our state’s natural beauty.
Whether its hiking, canoeing, sleeping out under the stars, or fishing, we get to experience nature firsthand every time we visit one of our state parks. These experiences can last a lifetime and it’s crucial for us to maintain a strong park system while also identifying and protecting future parkland for future generations.
Transportation and land use lie at the core of our daily lives, guiding how we get to and from work, where we shop and the very makeup of our communities.
Virginia LCV advocates for transit options that take into account their impact on the environment. We oppose infrastructure that unduly threatens natural resources and support multimodal transportation alternatives that ease traffic congestion, limit fossil fuel-generated emissions and provide forward-looking solutions to today’s gridlock problems.
Growth is natural. Growth without any checks and balances is not. Growth without restrictions puts a strain on local schools, public safety personnel, water and sewer infrastructure and general quality of life.
A community’s health and the environment should not suffer while developers reap all he benefits. This is why we work to ensure that localities have the tools they need to protect their communities from irresponsible development. The General Assembly has worked to erode the authority of counties, cities and towns to grow – or not grow – as they see fit and this is unacceptable.
