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2010 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 434
Commending Joseph H. Maroon.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 10, 2010
Agreed to by the Senate, March 12, 2010

 

WHEREAS, Joseph H. Maroon is commended for his generous service to the citizens of the Commonwealth in the protection and restoration of Virginia’s precious natural resources; and

WHEREAS, Governor Mark Warner appointed Joe Maroon as Director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation in 2002; and

WHEREAS, Joe Maroon continued his service as Director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (Department) for Governor Tim Kaine; and

WHEREAS, under Joe Maroon’s leadership, the Department received widespread recognition for numerous accomplishments and was given many additional and expanded responsibilities including those relating to stormwater management, land preservation tax credits, the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, and implementation of the largest statewide bond package for state parks and natural areas in Virginia history; and

WHEREAS, after two decades of effort by a large number of concerned citizens and state, federal, and private organizations, Joe Maroon led a successful endeavor to protect more than 1,700 acres of the Crow’s Nest Peninsula in Stafford County, and create Virginia’s 54th Natural Area Preserve; and

WHEREAS, Joe Maroon initiated a new and unique partnership between the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States Department of Defense known as the Virginia Department of Defense Eagle Award, to encourage environmental initiatives and enhanced environmental stewardship on all defense lands in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, Joe Maroon led a deliberate oversight of local government erosion and sediment control programs so that the Department actively sought and achieved compliance by greater than 80 percent of local governments; and

WHEREAS, early in his career, Joe Maroon served as the project director for the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission on a legislative study in the early 1980s to evaluate the economic potential and management of Virginia’s seafood industry, which became one of the cornerstones of Virginia’s first Chesapeake Bay restoration plan and led to structural and administrative changes to the Marine Resources Commission; and

WHEREAS, in 1985 Joe Maroon was chosen as the first Virginia Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a position he held for over 16 years; he successfully helped establish the Bay Foundation as one of Virginia’s premier environmental organizations; and

WHEREAS, for nearly 25 years, Joe Maroon has served as an environmental leader in Virginia and has been instrumental in the successful passage and implementation of numerous legislative and program advancements related to water quality, land conservation, Chesapeake Bay restoration, outdoor recreation, and dam safety; and

WHEREAS, several governors and the legislature have appointed Joe Maroon to numerous state boards and commissions, including the Virginia Board of Conservation and Recreation, on which he served as vice-chair for six years; and

WHEREAS, in 2000 Joe Maroon was recognized by a poll of environmental professionals statewide as one of four top conservation leaders in Virginia, was recognized in 2006 by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center at Virginia Tech for his distinguished service and leadership in water issues, and received the Gerald P. McCarthy Award for Leadership in Environmental Conflict Resolution in 2009; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend Joseph H. Maroon for his dedication to the Commonwealth of Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Joseph H. Maroon as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude and admiration for his work on behalf of the citizens of the Commonwealth.