Dear Ms. Bulbulkaya:

On behalf of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Inc., (“CBF”) I am submitting comments regarding the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (“DCR”) proposed revisions to the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation Grant Manual (“Grant Manual”).

CBF is a non-profit organization founded in 1967 and is devoted to the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay. We are the largest independent conservation organization dedicated solely to the fight for effective, science-based solutions to the pollution degrading the Bay and its rivers and streams within the 64,000-square-mile-watershed. CBF boasts more than 60,000 members in Virginia and conducts restoration activities through advocacy, education, and litigation. The Grant Manual includes important provisions that impact the natural resources protections of conserved properties in the Bay watershed, prompting our interest in weighing in on the proposed revisions.

We appreciate that the proposed changes to the Grant Manual retain the important elevations recently made for water quality-related scoring. We support the retention of points for water quality benefits in the Additional Scoring Criteria. Specifically, we support the retention of the additional point afforded to riparian buffers that are forested and protected in perpetuity as well as the additional points for projects with buffers greater than 35 feet in width. CBF also supports the retention of the prior addition in Appendix D, Subsection 5 of wetlands protection language requiring vegetated riparian buffers and livestock exclusion adjacent to such wetlands.

We appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed revisions to the Grant Manual. Please reach out to PFanning@cbf.org or (804) 258-1481 with any questions regarding our comments.

Sincerely,

Patrick Fanning

Virginia Staff Attorney  

Chesapeake Bay Foundation