Conserving our Land, Water, and Way of Life
2019-2020 ANNUAL REPORT
Letter from the Chairwoman, Joan Comanor Only a short time ago, members of a few
work with this active, engaged group as the Alliance’s first
organizations began discussing how we might
board chair. Perhaps, the best main ingredient in our successes
make a bigger impact in the area we care so
to date are our knowledgeable, highly talented, well respected,
much about — the Shenandoah Valley. Now,
results-focused, dedicated staff members.
only a couple years later that exploration has culminated in the fully-fledged Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley. We took a leap of faith that merging multiple legacy organizations under the umbrella of the Alliance would increase our capacity and effectiveness
Our focus is on sustainable development through promoting land use policies and practices that fit the landscape, maintain our rural character and our natural and cultural resources. We continually look for opportunities to
AND make possible even more ways to “advocate, educate,
collaborate with others and increase awareness of issues
and connect people to conserve the natural resources,
and opportunities. Throughout this report you will find
cultural heritage, and rural character of our region.” With that
examples of our results so far.
background, we are delighted to submit to you our first report of accomplishments by Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley!
We can only be successful if we maintain support from the communities we serve. We invite your participation in
Our Board consists of individuals who bring unique
sharing our mission through financial contributions, following
backgrounds, lots of expertise, geographic diversity,
our activities online, identifying issues worthy of attention,
commitment to our region, and, most of all, a passion for our
and becoming an active, more informed resident of the
mission. We quickly came together and identified our collective
Shenandoah Valley. Together, we can make a difference and
goals and the energy to make them reality. I am honored to
secure our quality of life for future generations!
VISION
MISSION
A Shenandoah Valley where our way of life is sustained by rural landscapes, clean streams and rivers, and thriving communities.
Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley advocates, educates, and connects people to conserve the natural resources, cultural heritage, and rural character of our region.
P.O. Box 674 9386 South Congress Street New Market, Virginia 22844 540.740.4500 info@shenandoahalliance.org 2
COVER PHOTO ©STRIEBIG PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN
shenandoahalliance.org @shenandoahalliance @shenandoahalliance shenandoahalliance.org
Alliance Staff Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley formed in 2018 from the merger of several legacy organizations in
KIM WOODWELL
our region — Rockingham’s Community Alliance for
Alliance Program Director and Shenandoah County Coordinator kwoodwell@shenandoahalliance.org
Preservation (CAP), Shenandoah Forum, Augusta County Alliance, and Shenandoah Valley Network. Our current staff includes many familiar faces from
522
these long-standing legacy groups. In 2019, we were fortunate to deepen our
WINCHESTER
conservation work in Page and Warren counties
522
by joining forces with long-time partner Scenic 340 Project. The nonprofit group, led by dedicated volunteers, made sure that the rural, redbud-lined highway 340 corridor was saved from a harmful widening proposed in 1999. They have also worked
11
Frederick
KIM SANDUM Rockingham County Coordinator and Transportation Lead ksandum@shenandoahalliance.org
11 522
with neighboring landowners to conserve more than 2300 acres of private land, connecting Shenandoah
Shenandoah
National Park and George Washington National
66
Warren
Forest along the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. 81 211
Rockingham 11
Page
33
HARRISONBURG 33
KATE WOFFORD Executive Director kwofford@shenandoahalliance.org
340
250
Augusta
11
CHRIS ANDERSON Page & Warren County Coordinator canderson@shenandoahalliance.org
STAUNTON 64
250
WAYNESBORO 340
ERIN BURCH Communications Manager eburch@shenandoahalliance.org
81
NANCY SORRELLS Augusta County Coordinator nsorrells@shenandoahalliance.org
DAVID BIRKENTHAL Community Planning and Policy Associate dbirkenthal@shenandoahalliance.org
shenandoahalliance.org
3
Board of Directors
Christine Andreae WARREN COUNTY
Seth Coffman SHENANDOAH COUNTY
Rod Graves PAGE COUNTY
Cory Guilliams ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
Joan Comanor SHENANDOAH COUNTY
Lisa Anne Hawkins ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
Sarah Francisco AUGUSTA COUNTY
Joe Lehnen SHENANDOAH COUNTY
Dolly Frazier ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
Lee Good ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
Carolyn F. Long SHENANDOAH COUNTY
Robert Whitescarver AUGUSTA COUNTY
Strategic Goals Promote land use and transportation policies that respect the Valley’s natural and cultural resources and traditional communities
Mobilize citizens on regional issues of importance Foster
land and water conservation through projects and programs that ensure clean and plentiful water, protected farm and forest land and preserved cultural resources
Support economic development that is in keeping with the Valley’s unique character and resources Cultivate an active, educated, and informed public
The Alliance:
4
Values land, water and community vitality in the Shenandoah Valley;
Brings people together to protect shared interests, natural resources, and a better way of life in the Valley;
Mobilizes and informs citizens on issues that affect Valley residents and visitors;
Believes in a culture of working together and helping all communities speak with a unified voice on the issues that affect them the most;
Finds common ground with a non-partisan approach. shenandoahalliance.org
PROMOTE We promote land use and transportation policies that respect the Valley’s natural and cultural resources and traditional communities.
Utility-Scale Solar Energy The Alliance believes scaling up renewable energy can be a significant positive step for the Valley — and bring economic opportunities for businesses and landowners — if properly implemented. We are therefore actively working to ensure localities have effective tools to make sure utility-scale solar projects are well-sited, carefully constructed and have a long-term plan in place for stewardship. The timeliness of this topic was evident with a strong turnout and interest in two workshops on this subject in 2019. The Alliance hosted one workshop in Harrisonburg in partnership with the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission and another in Middletown with the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission. These open sessions attracted diverse participation and input from local elected and appointed officials, local government staff, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, project developers, landowners, lawyers and electric utilities. In conjunction with regional outreach and education activities like these workshops, the Alliance has also created a set of considerations and best-practices to help Valley localities think through potential issues and develop their local response to project proposals. These utility-scale solar guidelines are the product of significant outreach to and research in other Virginia localities that have experienced the permitting, construction, and maintenance phases of these projects as well as consideration of our local land uses and resources. More information and a downloadable copy of utility-scale ordinance recommendations can be found on our website at shenandoahalliance.org/project/solar-energy/.
shenandoahalliance.org
5
MOBILIZE
We mobilize citizens on regional issues of importance.
On July 5, 2020, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy announced the end of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The Alliance and two of our legacy groups, Augusta County Alliance and Shenandoah Valley Network, were deeply engaged in the campaign to stop the destructive and unnecessary project from the time it was announced in 2014. The high-pressure, 42-inch pipeline was slated to carry natural gas for 600 miles, from fracking wells in West Virginia to Virginia and North Carolina, crossing 56-miles through Augusta County. The Alliance was proud to be a leader in the campaign while working with more than 50 like-minded organizations, landowners along the path, countless concerned citizens, and the Southern Environmental Law Center.
6
shenandoahalliance.org
Together with our partners, we protected public lands—including the George Washington National Forest, the Appalachian Trail, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. We protected headwaters, streams and tributaries (including 189 stream crossings in Augusta County alone), drinking water supplies, forests, neighborhoods, and family farms. We extend our sincere thanks to all the people in the Shenandoah Valley, and beyond, who worked so hard for six long years to protect the place that we all love. Today, we are celebrating the protection of this spectacular vista in western Augusta County that is no longer threatened by the proposed pipeline.
shenandoahalliance.org
PHOTO BY NANCY SORRELLS
7
FOSTER We foster land and water conservation through projects and programs that ensure clean and plentiful water, protected farm and forest land and preserved cultural resources.
Shenandoah Valley Conservation Collaborative The Alliance serves as the host organization for the Shenandoah Valley Conservation Collaborative (SVCC). Founded in 2017, SVCC leverages the expertise and landowner relationships of its diverse partners to accelerate land protection and water restoration on shared priority lands in six Shenandoah Valley counties. Original partners included three land trusts, a watershed group, and a county conservation easement authority. With leading support from the Alliance in 2019, the SVCC expanded its membership to include two additional watershed groups, three local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, three local Natural Resource Conservation Service field offices and conservation partners Trout Unlimited and Chesapeake Bay Foundation. SVCC successfully competed for a three-year $1 million award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Innovative Sediment and Nutrient Reduction grant program. In October of 2019, NFWF announced this award for the Collaborative to accelerate clean water practices and farmland protection under its Chesapeake Bay Stewardship grant program. The Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund is a pooled grant fund managed by NFWF and made possible through significant annual funding from EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and corporate and foundation partners.
Shenandoah Valley Conservation Collaborative
8
shenandoahalliance.org
SUPPORT + CULTIVATE
ACTIVE:
Our voice was heard and included in the creation of Shenandoah
County’s strategic economic development plan. This ten-month process included local representatives from business, agriculture, education, the towns and the county as part of a group working to expand and diversify Shenandoah
We support economic development that is in keeping with the Valley’s unique character and resources. We also cultivate an active, educated, and informed public.
shenandoahalliance.org
County’s economic growth.
EDUCATED:
In 2019, we hosted interns from James Madison University and
Blue Ridge Community College in an effort to support our regional institutions of higher education and cultivate future conservationists.
INFORMED:
We hosted 2019 candidate forums in Shenandoah County and
Augusta County to ensure civic leaders pursuing elected office were aware of the conservation opportunities and challenges in the region. These forums were also important venues to connect citizens with candidates.
9
As long as there are people like you who care about the Shenandoah Valley, our work will continue.
“The six-year effort to stop the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
“The special character of a valley is often tied to
seemed at times to be an unattainable pipe-dream.
the day-to-day processes of local government. I feel
As landowners in Augusta County we woke up every
comforted knowing the Alliance is an active, engaged
morning to look out on our front pasture knowing that
partner with local leaders and the community in
we could not take on Dominion alone. It was because
the Shenandoah Valley for important land use and
of organizations like the Alliance that a wide spectrum
transportation planning decisions. These everyday
of stakeholders joined forces to work for the common
measures affect our region, our way of life, our
good and to speak with a single strong voice. It is good
surroundings, and our future generations — and they
to know that the Alliance (and organizations like it)
are too important to miss.”
will be there in the future to help protect the beautiful rural areas and beautiful landscapes in the Valley. We
— Bonnie Good, Mount Jackson, Virginia
also like to think that our small contribution makes a difference.“ — Scott and Peggy Ballin, Deerfield Valley, Virginia
10
shenandoahalliance.org
Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley is the leading, unified voice for conserving our region’s land, water, and community. As a nonprofit, we are fortunate to receive annual support from foundations, grants, and individuals. We are honored stewards of every dollar, and we believe our people are our programs. Our finances are externally audited by certified professionals each year, and our experienced and capable Board of Directors reviews and approves our budget thoughtfully. The return on investment for Alliance support is actively delivered in our region at every community meeting, in every coordinated advocacy letter, and in every important policy discussion. At every level, our resources are directed to ensuring current and future Valley residents and visitors alike can enjoy scenic landscapes, abundant outdoor activities, clean water, vibrant communities, and safe travels. You may consider a gift to a particular advocacy issue, a specific locality, or our overall efforts. Our 700 steadfast supporters:
Live both inside and outside the Shenandoah Valley; Give both general and issue-specific gifts of all sizes; Donate both monthly and annually; and Share a common thread of passion and concern for the future of this region.
“Although my current residence is in the Pacific
“Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley is doing
Northwest, my Shenandoah Valley roots remain
important work bridging neighbors near and far on
important to me. In fact, I have been heard to say
local land issues that affect our quality of life. We’re
that although I live elsewhere, my soul remains
fortunate to have this coalition of committed legacy
in the Valley. I feel confident every year giving
groups and individuals who have been steadily
resources to the Alliance knowing my investment
working in a bipartisan fashion through advocacy,
will be respected, leveraged, and quickly put to
educational and relationship-building efforts to
direct use for the community and the resources I
make the Valley a more thriving place to live and
deeply cherish.”
work for current and future generations.” — Peter Dalke, Mosier, Oregon
— Bethany Versluis Fairfield, former legacy board member, Rockingham County, Virginia
shenandoahalliance.org
11
P.O. Box 674 New Market, Virginia 22844
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — MARGARET MEAD
VISIT SHENANDOAHALLIANCE.ORG TO LEARN MORE AND JOIN US.
shenandoahalliance.org @shenandoahalliance @shenandoahalliance