Conserving Earns Kudos in Virginia

· Best Creative Scenic Improvement, to a coalition of groups that worked on the Capt. John Smith Water & Auto Trail, part of which runs along the James River from Richmond to Newport News. Created by the Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation with other state agencies, the section of trail includes a driving tour of 40 sites along the river.

· Best Local Anti-Litter Practices, to the statewide Assign-A-Highway Program, in which people who are on court-ordered probation pick up litter 26 times a year. "The first glimpse many tourists have of Virginia is from the roads, so anything we can do to make them more attractive is going to help business," Powell said.

· Best Implementation of the Virginia Department of Transportation Tree-Trimming Policy, to the Fredericksburg VDOT district for its attention to proper pruning techniques and aesthetic and safety considerations.

· Honorable mention, to the Goose Creek Scenic River Advisory Board for its conservation work over three decades along the waterway in Loudoun County.

· Honorable mention, to a public-private coalition for converting an abandoned seafood dock with a dilapidated bulkhead into the Robert R. Reed Sr. Downtown Waterfront Park on Chincoteague Island.

Scenic Virginia also issued a warning this year, naming an Endangered Virginia Viewshed. The designation went to a view of the James River from Libby Hill Park in Richmond.

The view gave the city its name because it resembled a view in Richmond upon Thames in England. The Virginia view is threatened by a proposed riverfront development 270 feet high that Powell said would "completely destroy it."

"It is the quintessential Richmond view," she said.

"We firmly believe that a riverfront park is the best solution to preserving that magnificent view, as well as attracting citizens and tourists to our riverfront."