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2018 SESSION

18107628D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 422
Offered February 28, 2018
Commending the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia.
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Patrons-- Edmunds and Carr
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WHEREAS, for 20 years, the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia has helped sustain the Commonwealth’s proud heritage of hunting, fishing, and other outdoor sports, while protecting and preserving thousands of acres of land for public use; and

WHEREAS, established as a nonprofit organization in 1997 to address diminishing access to public land for sportsmen and sportswomen in the Commonwealth, the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia works with state agencies and other organizations to acquire spaces for outdoor recreation; and

WHEREAS, the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia has conserved nearly 13,000 acres of land in the Counties of Accomack, Albemarle, Amelia, Botetourt, Charles City, Fluvanna, Gloucester, Madison, New Kent, Pittsylvania, and Rockbridge; and

WHEREAS, in 2012, the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia entered into a partnership with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) that resulted in the Virginia Wildlife Grant Program, which has provided more than $169,000 in grants to youths across the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia and DGIF have also collaborated to support the National Archery in the Schools Program and the Old Dominion One Shot Turkey Hunt, an annual, statewide hunt to celebrate the success of wild turkey repopulation efforts in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, in 2015, the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia was awarded a $4 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support coastal resiliency projects in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach after Hurricane Sandy; the projects reestablished hydrology and forested wetland ecology in the Cavalier Wildlife Management Area and helped address shoreline erosion in the Back Bay estuary; and

WHEREAS, the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia hosts many of its outreach events for youths and veterans at Fulfillment Farms in Albemarle County, a 1,910-acre no-fee recreational space with opportunities for hunting, fishing, hiking, and bird watching; the foundation has constructed 12 wheelchair-accessible ground blinds for use by wounded veterans and maintains a “veterans and kids first” policy; and

WHEREAS, the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia has fulfilled its mission with the leadership and hard work of its all-volunteer Board of Directors; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia on the occasion of its 20th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Jim McVey, chair of the Board of Directors of the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia, as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the foundation’s work to promote outdoor sports and preserve the valuable natural resources of the Commonwealth.