The Nature Conservancy in Virginia’s Post

Have questions about offshore wind? We're here to help! Join us this Thursday as we kick off a seven-part webinar series that dives into the complexities around offshore wind—from its environmental impact to its economic feasibility. Hear from the experts about important considerations around offshore wind and how cleaner energy can help us create a greener and more prosperous future. 🌱 This Thursday, July 18 from 12-1 pm ET, will feature Sarah Krame, Staff Attorney with Sierra Club Environmental Law Program, and Susan Muller, Senior Energy Analyst of Union of Concerned Scientists, who will share some results from their recent analyses on why offshore wind is so important for New England, especially during the winter, and how it can reduce energy costs for New England ratepayers. While their research focuses on New England, it demonstrates a reality about offshore wind that is playing out across the country in determining the true price tag of offshore wind. Future webinars will focus on whales, birds, fish, a community-powered energy transition and more! Webinars will be hosted by TNC Atlantic Coast Offshore Wind Policy Manager, Tricia Jedele. Learn more and register online: https://nature.ly/3W2hVIl

"Longleaf pine can survive natural disasters, but it has barely survived us humans," says writer and naturalist Janisse Ray. Longleaf pine forests depend on fire to thrive, and fire was a regular part of the landscape for millennia. For generations, Indigenous peoples managed these massive forests with fire on the coastal plain from what is now southern Virginia to eastern Texas, but when European settlers arrived and began timbering, the longleaf system and supported biodiversity began to shrink. At TNC, we are working with conservation partners and private landowners to restore and manage this important ecosystem. Janisse Ray recently spoke to a longleaf champion who wants to bring back this forest of heart-stopping beauty – one matchstick at a time. Read her story, “Burning the Forest for the Trees,” in The Bitter Southerner, featuring The Nature Conservancy in North Carolina’s Deb Maurer and Jeff Marcus. Read the story: https://nature.ly/4bFCcJt #NationalForestWeek

Our Volgenau Virginia Coast Reserve (VVCR) Program Director, Jill Bieri, is featured on a Yale Climate Connections audio segment about VVCR's work with eelgrass, which provides vital habitat for marine life, reduces coastal erosion, and absorbs carbon pollution. 🎧 Jill shares that eelgrass meadows are like "forests of the underwater world" and how, thanks to conservation efforts with partners, this spindly plant has made a huge comeback on the Virginia coast: “We’ve gone from zero to nearly 10,000 acres.” Listen here to learn more: https://nature.ly/3XYfI3a

Get ready for OktoberForest Fest 2024! Mark your calendars for Sunday, September 15 from 12-6pm, hosted by Fine Creek Brewing Company in Powhatan, Virginia! For the third year running, The Nature Conservancy’s OktoberForest collaboration brings together four fantastic local breweries—Fine Creek, Sweet Bay Brewing Company, Upweller Beer Company and Väsen Brewing Company—with four Virginia landscape-conservation programs spanning the Atlantic to the Appalachians. One special local ingredient, carefully foraged from each landscape, offers an expression of Virginia’s lands and waters that you can taste with every sip. Food and music are also part of the fun. We look forward to seeing you there and celebrating our lands and waters on which all life depends! Artwork by Jessica Battista #OktoberForest #VirginiaNature

Join us this week as we celebrate National Forest Week and the incredible natural beauty of Virginia’s forests. 🌳🌲 We're kicking it off by highlighting our Warm Springs Mountain Preserve that lies in the heart of western Virginia's Allegheny Highlands. Warm Springs Mountain Preserve offers three public trails that introduce one of the largest and most ecologically significant private forests in the Central Appalachians. Situated within a 77,000-acre unfragmented, largely roadless forest block, the preserve anchors our efforts to protect and restore a key wildlife corridor and habitat for an amazing diversity of natural communities, plants and animals. Before you plan your visit to Warm Springs Mountain Preserve, swipe through the photos and share your best guesses of the plant and animal species shown in the comments below! ⬇️ Photo 1: Daniel White/TNC Photos 2, 3, 4: Dana Blackmer #NationalForestWeek #GreatOutdoorsVA

“Freshwater mussels are one of the things that make the Clinch such a special river system in the U.S. It’s got one of the highest concentrations of rare species, of any river in the U.S.,” says Brad Kreps, TNC's Clinch Valley Program Director. The Clinch River—one of the most ecologically unique rivers in the country—has been historically impacted by agriculture and coal mining, but efforts to clean up the area have helped the natural ecosystem rebound. In this story from Radio IQ/WVTF, listen to TNC's Braven Beaty, Brad Kreps and Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Southwest VA Mussel Recovery Coordinator, Tim Lane talk about how mussels act as "nature's Brita filter" and how their ecosystem benefits. https://nature.ly/3L99lCN

Happy Fourth of July! 🎆 As we celebrate Independence Day, let’s take a moment to appreciate one of America’s most iconic symbols: the majestic bald eagle. 🦅 Once on the brink of extinction, the bald eagle has made a remarkable comeback thanks to dedicated conservation efforts. Bald eagles are year-round residents of Virginia and can be seen soaring over rivers, lakes, bays and estuaries. In fact, It's believed that the Chesapeake Bay once supported the densest population of bald eagles in the country. This particular bald eagle was spotted just a couple weeks ago by our STEP Land Stewardship intern and skilled photographer, Christopher Timothy, during a field trip to the VCU Rice Rivers Center! 📸 Christopher Timothy #IndependenceDay #FourthOfJuly

A new article from the Chesapeake Bay Journal features not one, but TWO of our Virginia staff members! As Virginia's offshore wind project makes progress 27 miles off the coast, TNC Marine Scientist Brendan Runde and Coastal Scientist Alex Wilke are leading long-term studies around fish and sea bird behavior. By bridging this knowledge gap, TNC aims to help inform future monitoring and environmental assessments for offshore wind. Read more about this first-of-its-kind research here: https://nature.ly/4bwwoSu

Are you passionate about conservation and knowledgeable about prescribed fire? Join TNC as the Appalachians Fire Director! 🔥 TNC’s North America Fire program and Appalachians program are working together to support prescribed fire teams across 18 states. As the Appalachians Fire Director, the position will lead our fire strategy team, aligning and elevating prescribed fire work across the Appalachians. As part of the role's ongoing professional development, the candidate is expected to maintain their own fire line qualifications and must be located in the Appalachians geography. Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.  To apply, visit nature.org/careers and enter the job ID: 55284.