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Get Involved With Resilient Virginia
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Don't forget about these three opportunities to engage with Resilient Virginia and have more impact on the resilience of Virginia's communities. Board of Directors: We are expanding our board membership! Our Board of Directors oversees the financial and business plan of the organization and assists in raising funds. Time commitment: 4 hrs/month with Board Meetings 6 times/year Advisory Committee: Our Advisory Committee provides program and development assistance from a range of resiliency-related perspectives. Time commitment: 10 hrs/year Conference Planning Committee: Our 2023 Conference is this summer and we're assembling our Conference Planning Committee to assist in the development of the agenda. Time commitment: 5 hrs/month through August 2023 If you are interested in partnering with us in one (or more) of these roles, please email Annette Osso. |
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Earth Day 2023 Around Virginia
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Saturday, April 22, 2023, is the 53rd year of observing Earth Day and many Virginia communities and organizations are celebrating across the state – some for the day, some for the week, and some for the month of April. We pulled together a list of events around the state on our website. If you know of an event that is not on the list, please email Trish.
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Economic Opportunities for Community Resilience
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You are invited to join us at our 5th statewide conference on resiliency! This summer, we will focus on how local governments, organizations, businesses, and higher education institutions can tap into the vast amount of funding that is now available for resiliency initiatives, research, and planning efforts. This unprecedented economic funding can assist communities develop and implement strategies that will help them remain economically viable and socially vibrant places to work and live for years to come. Save the date for August 1st-2nd. Registration opens April 30th. |
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State Delays Flood Resiliency Grant Manual to Pursue Federal Funds
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Photo: Jason Boleman / Capital News Service
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The Department of Conservation and Recreation has decided to delay the release of new guidelines for applying for CFPF grants in order to seek federal funding from FEMA's Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund.
“We chose to focus our resources on these federal dollars,” Department of Conservation and Recreation Director Matt Wells said at a recent meeting on the Virginia Coastal Master Resilience Plan. “Because even if it’s only $50 million, [we] hate to miss it. Not every state is going to be in a position to try to capture these funds. We feel like there’s a good chance that we could get a little bit more than the share that we normally get.”
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NASA Grant to Fund Critical Research on Sea-Level Rise in Virginia
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Recently, Virginia Tech announced a collaborative research project funded through a grant from the NASA Land-Cover and Land-Use Change Program.
"“There are two questions that guide this project,” said Elizabeth Hunter, assistant professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation and assistant unit leader of the U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. “The first is can we use satellite imagery to detect where landscape change is happening from sea-level rise? The second is what are landowners doing in response to those changes?”
From those two questions, Hunter, along with Fish and Wildlife Conservation Associate Professor Ashley Dayer and Professor Valerie Thomas of the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, will create a predictive model that will help landowners, conservationists, and stakeholders better anticipate how humans and ecosystems might adapt to the specific challenges of sea-level rise." |
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REAP Funding Boost Announced - USDA Announces $1 Billion to Incentivize Rural Renewable Energy Grants
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On March 31st, the USDA announced more funding opportunities through $1 billion in grants under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). This is the largest funding expansion in the program's history and will provide farmers and small rural businesses with the opportunity to make their operations more energy efficient or add renewable energy to their farms or businesses. Over the next two years, the USDA will be opening a series of quarterly application windows as well as a continuous application window for guaranteed loans. They started accepting applications April 1 for the next round of quarterly funds.
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The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Releases New Resources to Advance Climate Science and Support Decision Making
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In March, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released new resources to advance climate science and knowledge, and to support leaders at every level of government in managing the impacts of climate change and building climate resilience in communities. Resources include:
- A new report with the best available science on current and future flood risk
- A new guide for applying climate science information in federal agency climate adaptation planning
- An action plan to make federal climate information and tools more accessible
- A framework to use science and technology to strengthen community resilience
- A report on recent advances in federal global change research
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Review of the Draft Fifth National Climate Assessment
"The National Academies’ review of the draft NCA5 report finds that it successfully meets the requirements of the federal mandate, provides accurate information, and effectively communicates climate science to the public, decision makers, and other stakeholders. The review makes recommendations for ways the draft NCA5 report could be strengthened, including: adopting more clear and consistent structure for key messages and figures across the report; resolving inconsistencies between chapters in how terms and topics are discussed, for example the use of scenarios and projections; intentionally applying an equity and justice lens across chapters; and increasing emphasis on certain topical areas." |
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Climate Conversations: Tipping Points
In case you missed it, on March 30th Laurie Goering (Thomson Reuters Foundation) moderated a conversation between Ilona M. Otto (University of Graz) and Rachael Shwom (Rutgers University) about the tipping points we are approaching, how to prepare for those we may reach, and how to encourage positive social tipping points for action on climate change. Meeting materials and the recording of this conversation are available on National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's website. |
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If you have any news or events you would like to share with other members of Resilient Virginia, please contact Trish Porter. |
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Thank you to our Annual Sponsors
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