Mark and his colleagues founded the Aquarium’s marine mammal and sea turtle Stranding Response Program in the late 1980s. Since that time, the Stranding Team has touched the lives of more than 10,000 animals. In 2003, Mark was appointed the first Director of the Aquarium’s new Research & Conservation Section. He has been fortunate to work with research projects involving bottlenose dolphins, humpback whales, loggerhead sea turtles, and other marine mammal and sea turtle species. Mark serves as a member of regional and national research and management teams and has traveled widely in support of conservation of marine mammals, sea turtles and their natural ocean habitats.

W. Mark Swingle

Sarah received her Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from VCU in 2007 and began work at PlanRVA (formerly known as the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission) as a planner focused on GIS and data analysis.  In 2009, her work shifted to a include elements of the environmental program at the agency.  Presently, Sarah is the Planning Manager for the Environmental Program at PlanRVA; she focuses on environmental and resiliency planning including projects related to watershed policy coordination, Chesapeake Bay TMDL planning, regional environmental committee coordination, hazard mitigation planning, litter prevention, and general data management.   

Katie has a Master’s degree from Miami University in Biology, and a Master’s degree from George Mason University in Environmental Science and Public Policy.   She has consulted with the National Geographic Society, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and works closely with the Ocean Conservancy. Through support and direction from the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, Katie worked with stakeholders to create and implement the VA Marine Debris Reduction Plan in 2014 and 2021.

registerkm@longwood.edu
434-395-2602

 

 

He currently coordinates the federal lead agency process for renewable energy projects offshore Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. He has recently managed the review of the first two offshore renewable energy turbines installed on the Outer Continental Shelf off Virginia Beach, Virginia and continues to manage the review of the commercial lease development offshore Virginia, the largest offshore wind project in BOEMs portfolio.

 

Before working in energy and infrastructure development Casey spent 8 years serving around the world in the United States Air Force as a Crew Chief working on F-16 and F-117 fighter aircraft.  He has an MPA from Clemson University and a BS and MS in Environmental Management from the University of Maryland’s Asian Campus, Seoul S. Korea and Tokyo, Japan.

casey.reeves@boem.gov
571.393.4369

Nancy joined the Virginia Native Plant Society in 1988 shortly after buying her own home in suburbia. She has served as its president since 2012 and also serves as the president of her local chapter, the Prince William Wildflower Society. Growing up in Manassas near the banks of Bull Run, Nancy traces her love of wildflowers to her discovery of masses of Virginia Bluebells in bloom there when she was a young girl. Conservation of native plants and their habitats is central to her mission in retirement.   

Nancy is an active member and former board director of the Prince William Conservation Alliance, a member and past president of the Prince William Committee of 100, a board director of the Upper Occoquan Service Authority (a water reclamation public utility), and a member of a number of conservation organizations.  Along with her companion Harry Glasgow, she helps lead regular walks at Huntley Meadows Park in Fairfax County and at Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area in Prince William County. She enjoys visiting parks and natural areas where she can immerse herself in nature. Nancy and Harry share their Manassas area home with two delightful kitties, Little Nicky and Henry David.

 

At Virginia CZM, Virginia is responsible for coordinating all facets of the program’s communication strategy. She also collaborates with a host of partners to design and implement Community-based Social Marketing campaigns, most recently focusing on efforts to decrease marine debris and increase native plant use. Virginia CZM initiated, and Virginia has been coordinating, the Plant Virginia Natives marketing partnership for the last 12 years. The emphasis of this initiative over the last few years has been on state-wide expansion of the regional native plant marketing model, including publication of regional native plant guides.

 

Virginia received her BA from Allegheny College and attended the Environmental Resource Policy Masters program at George Washington University and Duke University’s Environmental Communications certificate program.   

434-924-1855

 

Becky joined the DWR in 1988 as the manager of the country’s first computerized fish and wildlife information and mapping system and has served as the Assistant Director of the Wildlife Diversity Division, Assistant Bureau Director of the Bureau of Wildlife Resources, and Assistant Chief of the Wildlife Division.  She is a graduate of the Virginia Executive Institute, Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute, and the National Conservation Leadership Institute.  Becky received the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Robert McDowell Award for Conservation Management Excellence in 2021, the Southeastern Section of The Wildlife Society’s Wildlife Management Excellence Award in 2021, and the Virginia Chapter of The Wildlife Society’s Henry S. Mosby Professional Wildlifer Award in 2017.

 

Becky has an M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Science (Wildlife option) from Virginia Tech and a B.S. in Biology from the College of William and Mary.  
becky.gwynn@dwr.virginia.gov

(804) 389-395

Senior Environmental Planner/Coastal Program Manager

Northern Virginia Regional Commission

3040 Williams Drive, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22031 

Office: 703-642-4625

 

804.684.7277 o

 

 

SEAS provides unbiased, science-based technical assistance on environmentally sound shoreline management alternatives to private property owners and public land management agencies who are experiencing erosion on tidal shorelines or non-tidal streambanks and impoundments.

 

SEAS conducts on-site field investigation and analysis of erosion concerns, issues written advisory reports with recommended solutions, reviews engineering designs and construction plans, conducts on-site construction inspections, and provides connections to available financial incentive programs. All SEAS services are NO COST to property owners.

 

Contact information at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/seas.

 

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation has received a $1 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to accelerate the implementation of living shorelines in Rural Coastal Virginia to reduce coastal erosion and benefit water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. The grant was awarded by NFWF and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Chesapeake Bay Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grant Program.

 

Scaling up the implementation of living shorelines across Rural Coastal Virginia, in order to achieve WIP goals, will require a well-coordinated, regional collaboration. DCR, through its Shoreline Erosion Advisory Service, will cultivate partnerships across Rural Coastal Virginia and grow collaborative capacity in order to accelerate implementation. SEAS will look to these partnerships to formulate a shared vision and strategic plan to implement living shorelines at greater scales and rates.

 

Project objectives include: 1) grow and enhance the existing partnership of entities engaged in living shoreline implementation across Rural Coastal Virginia in order to enhance willingness and capacity for acceleration of implementation, 2) develop a cache of shovel-ready living shoreline projects with completed engineering designs on socially vulnerable sites, agricultural sites, and other priority sites, 3) provide financial incentives to construct new living shorelines on socially vulnerable sites, and 4) document the installation of recently implemented shoreline management projects across tidewater Virginia that have not yet been credited towards WIP pollutant reduction goals.

 

The geographic focus is Rural Coastal Virginia, which is defined as the 12-county service area of the Northern Neck PDC, Middle Peninsula PDC, and Accomack-Northampton PDC. This area covers tidal portions of the Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and Eastern Shore basins. The three-year project period runs through June 2024. This effort pairs with the James River Living Shoreline Collaborative as convened by the James River Association, also with funding from NFWF.

 

See DCR’s announcement at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/pr-relz-detail?id=2021-07-22-09-55-00-317774-spe.

Coastal forests, wetlands, beaches, and living shorelines provide multiple benefits for coastal communities, including storm protection, soaking up floodwaters, improving water quality, providing recreation areas and maintaining important habitats.  Protected and restored natural features can also reduce the cost of flood insurance.
Pursuing natural and nature-based features not only benefits the environment and your community, but can also be beneficial for meeting requirements connected to government programs like achieving a regulatory goal and reducing costs. 

www.vims.edu/ccrm/nnbf

This course is a starting point in preparing coastal managers and planners to plan and implement green (natural) infrastructure projects to reduce natural coastal hazards in their community. The course consists of the following two parts: Part 1: Self-Guided Online Module (1 hour) Covers foundational concepts prior to attending a virtual webinar. Part 2: 101 Virtual Webinar (2 hours) A virtual webinar where participants interact with their peers and experts to learn more about green infrastructure practices and resources for implementation.

 

https://events-na3.adobeconnect.com/content/connect/c1/1005979616/en/events/event/shared/2920332744/event_landing.html?sco-id=4227791265&_charset_=utf-8