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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.
  An osprey in James City County eyes a visitor along the Capt. John Smith Water & Auto Trail, the subject of an award. (By Steve Helber -- Associated Press) Blog |
· 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."
