Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Convenes Meeting with 3 LCCs
Those participated included: Becky Gwynn, Andrew Milliken (NALCC), Rua Mordecai (SALCC), Hilary Morris (SALCC), Jessica Rhodes (AppLCC), Jean Brennan (AppLCC), Scott Schwenk (NALCC), Elsa Haubold (LCC), David Whitehurst, and Chris Burkett
On September 2-3, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VA DGIF) hosted a meeting with all three LCCs in the state - the Appalachian, the North Atlantic, and the South Atlantic. Staff from each LCC reported on progress toward creating a landscape design for their region, while the state agency shared many of their conservation priorities and concerns.
Staff from each LCC reported on progress toward creating a landscape design for its region. Each highlighted common elements among their design process including shared ecosystem types, habitat suitability for focal species, climate resilience, and ecological integrity. They also mentioned how these spatial plans, once finished, can be knitted together through the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy and other initiatives into a cohesive whole. VA DGIF personnel conducted their own presentations, which focused on concerns regarding data management, invasive species, pests, and pathogens, clearing barriers to restoration, and common research needs.
Becky Gwynn, the agency’s Steering Committee representative for the North Atlantic LCC, organized the event. The Appalachian LCC Steering Committee chair David Whitehurst and the South Atlantic Steering Committee representative Cale Godfrey served as facilitators during the meeting. Elsa Haubold, the LCC Network Coordinator, and Laura MacLean, the new communications manager for the LCC Network, participated as well. The meeting truly illustrated the idea of “collaborative conservation,” a key component of the LCC Network Strategic Plan.
