Refuge Manager Suzanne Baird co-hosted a tour of the Dismal Swamp Canal and Lake Drummond on the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge with the City of Chesapeake, Virginia on October 10, 2006. During the tour staff briefed Colonel Anninos of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District on issues related to the operation of the Canal and its relationship to the refuge. Others involved in the tour included Mayor Dalton Edge, City of Chesapeake, Mary Anne Saunders, Assistant City Manager, City of Chesapeake, Joel Scussel, USACOE, Dismal Swamp Canal Project Manager, Captain Bill Petree, Chesapeake Parks and Recreation, Gail Bradshaw, Chesapeake Parks and Recreation, Roy Jackson, Chesapeake resident, Jamie Miller, Legislative Assistant for Representative J. Randy Forbes, and Andy Halataei, Legislative Director for Representative J. Randy Forbes.

The primary purpose of the tour was to familiarize Col. Anninos, who is new to the district, on issues relating to the operation of the Dismal Swamp Canal. The Dismal Swamp Act of 1974 provides that navigational or other uses of the Dismal Swamp Canal are not to adversely effect the refuge and that the two agencies work together to maintain an appropriate water level in Lake Drummond which is part of the refuge. Other issues discussed on the tour related to the City of Chesapeake's Dismal Swamp Canal Trail, the comprehensive conservation plan for the refuge and ongoing partnerships in managing this important resource.

The tour began in Chesapeake, Virginia along the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail on board a pontoon boat for the trip down the Canal and up the feeder ditch to the Lake Drummond Reservation. The group stopped for a lunch break before taking smaller boats into Lake Drummond and an informative tour of the refuge. We had beautiful weather for the trip and a good opportunity to discuss issues and learn more about the resources.