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2003 Meeting Minutes

Agenda

1. Welcome
2. Land Use Policy Audit update
3. Dragon Run SAMP update - grants and proposals
4. Planning for Public Informational Meetings
5. Other Business
6. Adjourn

Attendance

Steering Committee: Frank Herrin, Russell Williams (King and Queen); Robert Major (Middlesex); Prue Davis, Dorothy Miller (Essex)

Others: Rachel Williams (King and Queen); Robert Hudgins (Gloucester); Mike Anderberg (Friends of Dragon Run); Vladimir Gavrilovic (Paradigm Design); David Fuss (MPPDC)

Welcome and Announcements

David Fuss introduced Vladimir Gavrilovic of Paradigm Design, whose firm has been contracted to perform a land use policy audit of the Dragon Run watershed. Last night, he presented a Technical Memorandum summarizing his findings (handout). Vlad briefed the Committee on the purpose of the Policy Audit and summarized his findings. Highlights included: the watershed is not specifically identified in the Comp Plans; major subdivisions are strictly controlled through the subdivision ordinance; differences in implementation of Bay Act; Dragon Run Conservation District; and complexity of the regulations. Vlad noted several opportunities, including: consistency between Comp Plan, zoning ordinance and subdivision ordinance; extending Resource Management Area designations; and more comprehensive literature explaining ordinances and policies. Next steps include: feedback; recommendations; illustrations; and a final report. Questions were asked about streamside protection measures, such as the Bay Act and the Dragon Run Conservation District.

Dragon Run SAMP update

David Fuss updated the Committee on activities of the Special Area Management Plan. Specifically, he focused on the recent submittal of a draft grant proposal for the fiscal year 2003 running from October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2004. A main focus for the proposal is facilitating the implementation of the watershed management plan, which is still in draft form now. Two other ideas will receive greater attention. One is the development of a professional education program focusing on informing decision-makers and community leaders about watershed issues and the Special Area Management Plan. The second idea is the pursuit of a market-based sustainable economic development study to identify opportunities to develop regional capacity to produce value-added or alternative farm, forest, and resource-based products and services. The idea of managing more lands for hunting was brought up. Also, the question of how much education is appropriate was raised. Could too much education encourage overvisitation and yield adverse impacts? The education program's focus would be on decision-makers and landowners, not on encouraging visitation. Also, Friends of Dragon Run noted that their trips do not encourage many repeat visitors, but more often provide one-time visitors a chance to experience the Dragon Run and make a positive connection between its preservation and planning efforts.

Planning for Public Informational Meetings

David offered the idea of holding public meetings in each locality to present the elements of the watershed management plan to the public. He asked the Committee to consider how, when and where these meetings should be held. The Committee felt that the courthouses would be the best place to hold the meetings. There was discussion about how to attract people to come to the event. The Committee agreed that the meetings should be held in the fall of the year and target hunt club members, as the annual meetings for hunt clubs occur at that time. Besides advertising in the local newspapers, invitations to landowners and hunt club presidents should be issued. Landowner information can be retrieved from tax records and the presidents of hunt clubs should be available from the game wardens. Meetings should be advertised as a way to protect hunting rights and availability and refreshments such as hot dogs and hamburgers should be offered.

Other Business

The Committee discussed a wide range of topics, including:
- Concern about the sale of John Hancock timberland and who may be buying the land and for what purpose
- Concern about pollution and how upland buffers and swamps help to mediate pollution contained in runoff
- A suggestion that the Steering Committee could purchase land or hold conservation easements - the Committee felt that easements would best be held by a non-profit organization rather than a governmental entity
- Discussion of state and federal tax benefits of conservation easements
- The Virginia Marine Resource Commission's denial of a permit for an intake pipe for the proposed King William Reservoir along the Mattaponi River

The Committee also discussed plans for its August 13 quarterly meeting. The Committee enjoyed last year's August picnic at Robert Major's house. Mr. Major offered the use of his property for another picnic this August and it was agreed that the meeting would be held there at 6 PM as a potluck dinner.

Adjourn

Prue Davis called for a motion to adjourn. Dorothy Miller motioned, and Frank Herrin seconded. The meeting was adjourned.

Dragon Run Steering Committee
Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission
Spring Quarterly Meeting
February 12, 2003

Agenda

1. Welcome
2. Forest Legacy Program funding in the Dragon Run
3. DCR Chesapeake Bay Watershed Grant update
4. Legislative update
5. SAMP update
6. Dragon Run Story project
7. 2003 Work Plan
8. Other Business
9. Adjourn

Attendance

Steering Committee: Keith Haden, Frank Herrin (King and Queen); Jack Miller (Middlesex); Prue Davis, Dorothy Miller, Scott Owen (Essex); Rick Allen, Betty DeHardit, Jerry Horner (Gloucester)

Others: Bill DeHardit (Gloucester); David Fuss (MPPDC)

Welcome

Chair Davis convened the meeting and welcomed everyone.

Forest Legacy Program funding

David Fuss discussed the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Legacy Program FY04 funding proposal for the Dragon Run watershed. The proposal, which was submitted by the VA Dept. of Forestry, would direct $3 million toward the protection of working forests in the watershed. David distributed a handout that explained the main points of the proposal and the funding program and offered web sites for further information. There was some discussion about the possibility of the funding being used for the establishment of a state forest in the Dragon Run (this is not explicitly part of the proposal).

DCR Watershed Grant update

David Fuss provided a brief update about the status of projects that are being funded by a watershed grant from the VA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation. The funding will allow VCU researchers to collect and identify benthic macroinvertebrates, including freshwater mussels. The funding will also allow the VA Natural Heritage Program to document natural communities and rare species in the headwaters of the Dragon Run. Finally, the funding will pay a land use consultant to audit the land use policies of the localities within the watershed. This study will provide recommendations to the Dragon Run Steering Committee and its Advisory Group in its effort to develop a watershed management plan for the Dragon Run. A land use consultant will be hired soon and will start in late March or early April.

Legislative update

David Fuss distributed a summary of bills being considered by the 2003 General Assembly that may be of interest to the Steering Committee. He also indicated that their status may be tracked on the web-based Legislative Information System.

SAMP update

David Fuss provided an update on the Special Area Management Plan project. The Steering Committee's Advisory Group is developing action plans to achieve the SAMP goals and objectives. Research and information are being incorporated into the planning process. David has been making presentations to community groups about the SAMP. Once a draft watershed management plan is prepared, David plans to present it to the public at open meetings in each locality.

Dragon Run Story project

David Fuss briefed the group about the project to create a Dragon Run Story. He noted that Committee members and other citizens had been contacted by a Virginia Tech student who is working on the project. David distributed a copy of the interview questions to the Committee, asking them to return them to him or the student, if they wished to complete the survey.

2003 Work Plan

David Fuss asked the Steering Committee to consider the proposed 2003 Work Plan that he drafted. The work plan includes items to which they have committed in grants and items that have been identified as areas of interest.

Proposed 2003 Work Plan

There was Committee discussion about the nature of these meetings and the role of the public in developing a watershed management plan. While Ms. DeHardit maintained that non-landowners should not have a say about how landowners manage their land, other Committee members argued the benefits of getting feedback from the public to inform planning for the future of the watershed. Ms. DeHardit was also concerned about publicity attracting visitor interest in the Dragon Run, which sometimes causes trespass problems for landowners.

Frank Herrin suggested an additional Work Plan item that the Steering Committee host a fall picnic for Boards of Supervisors, Planning Commissions, and the SAMP Advisory Group to get acquainted with each other, share fellowship, and follow up on the Memorandum of Agreement between all of them. It was noted that this might help to gain agreement to the Steering Committee's recommendations in the watershed management plan.

It was noted that the additional item could be considered 'Outreach to Boards of Supervisors, Planning Commissions, citizens.' Frank Herrin motioned to adopt the 2003 Work Plan. The motion was seconded by Dorothy Miller and carried unanimously.

Other Business

Dorothy Miller brought up the topic of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) targeting cutover timberland in Essex County owned by John Hancock Life Insurance Company. She discussed the possible negative ramifications on land values that might occur from TNC offering much higher prices than the going value of cutover land. Ms. Miller requested that the Steering Committee send a letter to TNC requesting that they reappraise at lower rates and offer opportunities to adjacent landowners to purchase the land. Scott Owen and Keith Haden indicated that their experience is that Hancock is asking for a price that is higher than the going value of cutover land.

In response to concern about TNC's role in the sale and development of land, David Fuss suggested a review of TNC's general approach to conserving land in the Dragon Run watershed. TNC's goal is to conserve 15,000 acres in the watershed. In order to leverage funding, their approach might entail purchasing large tracts, establishing conservation easements on parts of those tracts, and then selling the tract with easement restrictions on it. The funds leveraged from this transaction would be used to purchase more easements in the watershed. Ideally, TNC would seek a conservation-minded buyer who is willing to donate the easement, thereby taking the financial burden of the cost of the easement off of TNC. In the absence of an easement donor, TNC would buy the easement. The easement would result in a significant stream buffer that would remove some timber production from the tract and restrictions on the locations of home sites. In the example used by Ms. Miller, this would mean 1-2 homesites. Significantly, TNC has indicated a desire to seek the Steering Committee's input on how the land should be managed after it has been initially purchased by the TNC. David explained that this is a change from the Steering Committee's role in how other Dragon Run lands are managed. It represents an opportunity for the Steering Committee to help determine how TNC's 15,000 acres will be managed.

There was some discussion about where development would occur if it was sold by Hancock. There was also discussion about the possibility of Steering Committee pursuing a memorandum of agreement with TNC and other conservation landowners (e.g. Friends of Dragon Run, VIMS) that would provide guidelines for conservation land management.

Following some concern about what role the Steering Committee should play in this situation and what conflicts of interest might arise from the Steering Committee's involvement in private land transactions, the Committee was non-committal and decided to take no further action.

Adjourn

Chair Davis adjourned the meeting.

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