Virginia General Assembly 2016: Make Your Voice Heard

The Virginia Native Plant Society is asking for your help on three important legislative issues before the Virginia General Assembly RIGHT NOW! Voting will taking place starting Monday. Directly contacting the people who will be voting on these is the most effective way of letting them know how important they are to you. Below we have described the three items we are concerned about; suggested brief messages for you to email or call; given you links to find out who your legislator is, how to contact them; and which bills they will be voting on. 

Find out who your Delegate and/or Senator is, and their Richmond contact information.

1) Increased Funding for the Division of Natural Resources. This Budget Amendment will  increase funding for the Division of Natural Resources by $2.448 million. Natural Heritage manages Virginia’s 62 Natural Area Preserves which are jewels of biodiversity. Visiting them is the 4th most popular outdoor activity in our state. Since 2002 the number and acreage under protection has doubled, but the staff to properly manage them has decreased from 48 to 42 causing preserve closures, security breaches, and spread of invasive species.

ACTION:

a) CALL your Delegate if he or she is a Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Technology – Find out if your Delegate is on this committee. Calls are the most effective method, but an email is also good.  MESSAGE – “Please support the Kilgore amendment, budget item 364 #4h to increase the budget for Natural Heritage by $2.448 million. This increase is critically needed to protect and preserve the Commonwealth’s natural heritage.” Don’t hesitate to use your own words to express your concern!

b) CALLor email your Senator ASAP if he or she is a Member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Economic Development and Natural Resources:  Find out if your Senator is a member of this committee.  MESSAGE:  “Please support the Hanger amendment, budget item 364 #46s to increase the budget for Natural Heritage by $2.448 million. This increase is critically needed to protect and preserve the Commonwealth’s natural heritage.”

c)  Please send me an email to let me know you took action and with whom so I can follow up: marcia.mabee@gmail.com

2)  Wavyleaf Grass:  Budget amendment to provide $200,000 (Senate) and $150,000 (House) to the Department of Forestry to combat Wavyleaf Basketgrass. This plant is a new invasive species with very aggressive characteristics.  It is anticipated to be worse than Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium) but it currently infests just 300 acres in Virginia, so this amendment provides critical resources to enable eradication of WLBG before it overwhelms natural areas all over the state.

ACTION:

  1. Call or email your Delegate if he or she is a Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Technology: you can find out here. MESSAGE –“ Please support the Hope amendment, budget item 101 #1h to increase the budget for the Depart. Of Forestry by $150,000 to combat Wavyleaf Grass. This increase is critically needed to eradicate this aggressive invasive non-native plant that could grievously harm the Commonwealth’s natural heritage. This is an invasive plant we can control now before it gets out of hand.” 
  2. Call or email your Senator if he or she is a Member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Economic Development and Natural Resources: you can find out here. MESSAGE: “Please support the Hanger amendment, budget item 101 #2s  to increase the budget for the Dept. of Forestry by $200,000 to combat Wavyleaf Basketgrass. This increase is critically needed to eradicate this aggressive invasive non-native plant that could grievously harm the Commonwealth’s natural heritage. This is an invasive plant we can control now before it gets out of hand.”
  3. Please send me an email to let me know you took action and with whom so I can follow up. marcia.mabee@gmail.com

3) Noxious Weed Law. This bill would allow, for the first time, regulation of a vast range of invasive species including Japanese Stiltgrass, Oriental Bittersweet and the like. HB 734, introduced by Del. Patrick Hope, amends the Noxious Weed Law striking the “not widely disseminated” language. In its place, compromise language worked out with the Virginia Agri-Business Council, other business groups and conservation organizations would prohibit listing as a noxious weed any plant on the Division of Natural Heritage’s invasive species list that is commercially viable in Virginia.We have been working with stakeholders for a long time to bring this to the floor, your voice can help. Read more about the bill here.

ACTION:

  1. Call or email your Delegate and Senator; find out who your Delegate and/or Senator is, and their Richmond contact information. Urge them to support HB 734.  MESSAGE:  “Please support HB 734, a bill to amend the Noxious Week Law to enable, for the first time, regulation of many harmful invasive non-native plant species that will protect Virginia’s spectacular biodiversity. The bill is supported by the Virginia Agri-Business Council, the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association as well as conservation groups.”
  2. Please send me an email to let me know you took action and with whom so I can follow up.
    Email Me
    Thank you very much for your effort to help get these important measures passed. Your interest and concern matters to your legislators.