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Community involvement update

 
 
During “coffee house conversations” (shown above), participants split their time among 10 tables with specific topics about tools and techniques for public participation.

The Department of Environmental Quality arranged a workshop on community involvement at Environment Virginia 2008, held at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. “Influencing Public Actions: Stories, Tools and Techniques from the Field” drew about 60 participants for the four-hour session held April 1, 2008.

The workshop began with success stories from the field, during which panelists described a variety of community environmental issues, and how public participation improved the decisions and engaged a broader community.
 
Panelists were Marvin Moss, Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors; Liese Dart, Piedmont Environmental Council; Robert L. Nieweg, National Trust for Historic Preservation; and Mark J. Carr, Riverworks Discovery, AEP River Operations. The moderator was Skip Stiles, Executive Director of Wetlands Watch.
 
The panel was followed by “coffee house conversations,” in which participants split their time among 10 tables with specific topics about tools and techniques for public participation. Discussion leaders at the tables explained their perspectives on community involvement and encouraged small-group conversations with each table group
 
Discussion leaders were Dr. Barbara Board, Virginia Cooperative Extension; Bill Hayden, DEQ Public Affairs Office; Emily Francis, Chesapeake Bay Foundation; Chris French, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay; Scott Kudlas and Tammy D. Stephenson, DEQ Office of Water Supply Planning; Mary Helen Morgan, Middle Peninsula Land Trust; Katherine Mull, Dan River Basin Association; and Kim Hosen, Prince William Conservation Alliance. Angela Neilan, DEQ community involvement specialist, moderated the tools and techniques session.
III. Discussion leaders will briefly
The workshop concluded with a dialogue among several conservation leaders on how to do a better job of promoting public participation in Virginia. DEQ Chief Deputy Rick Weeks moderated this panel, which included Jeff Corbin, Assistant Secretary of Natural Resources; Kathleen Kilpatrick, Director of the Department of Historic Resources; Nathan Lott, Executive Director of the Virginia Conservation Network; and Del. Harvey Morgan, chairman of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee.

Community involvement at DEQ

Resources
    Best practices in DEQ community involvement (13.5 MB PDF)   
    A Guide for Effective Public Comments (PDF)
    Laws and regulations
    Permit overview
    Town Hall overview (PDF)

Water quality activities
    Become a water quality monitor
    Nominate an exceptional waterway

Past meetings
2004 and 2005

DEQ works to improve opportunities for Virginians to participate in significant environmental actions. This community involvement initiative has become an integral part of how the agency operates.

DEQ has committed to the following as a part of this effort:

  • Involving the public early in significant environmental actions, such as major permits.
  • Establishing a strong relationship with environmental and community organizations.
  • Developing active participation in consensus building on significant environmental issues.
  • Communicating clearly with the public.

The Community Involvement Task Force, which began in 2004, meets periodically to discuss DEQ’s community involvement efforts and to continue to identify how the public can remain active in environmental decision making.

To learn more about environmental activities in your area, see DEQ’s:

Or the Virginia Town Hall website.

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