This quarter, our sponsors have coastal news, including an opportunity to contribute to Virginia’s first Ocean Plan and an opportunity to assist with the annual Catch the King tidal flood mapping event.
Your Input Welcome to First Virginia Ocean Plan
Submitted by Virginia Witmer, Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program/DEQThe Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, invites you to participate in an opportunity for partners, stakeholders and the public to provide input to help shape the first Virginia Ocean Plan (for the shores of Virginia out to the 200 nautical mile limit of the Exclusive Economic Zone – see www.deq.virginia.gov/vaoceanplan).
For Master Naturalists in the area, Virginia CZM is hosting a Virginia Ocean Plan Community Open Forum on Thursday, August 15, between 6:30pm-9:30pm, at the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach.
This cafe style event will allow attendees to move through a series of staffed tables/exhibits to learn about the plan process and provide input at their own pace. This event is free and open to the public and is kid friendly with activities, giveaways, and access to select aquarium exhibits.
Registration is not required, but helpful as we plan for the event.
In addition to the forum, below is the list of the various ways to provide input. We especially encourage Virginians to share their stories of how they connect to Virginia’s coast and ocean waters: How and where do you interact with the Ocean? What ocean uses are important to you? What issues or concerns should we be considering?
- Virtually during an on-line forum on September 5. More details to be posted at www.deq.virginia.gov/vaoceanplan.
- Via a very brief survey.
- Via an email to virginiaoceanplan@gmail.com
- Via a voicemail or text message to (804) 420-8457
- Send us a picture with a caption that describes your connection to the coast and ocean waters! We may use your picture in the future and will make sure to contact you before doing so. You can send pictures via text to (804) 420-8457 or via email to virginiaoceanplan@gmail.com.
Your help in passing along this invite would be much appreciated too!
If you have any questions about the Virginia Ocean Plan process, participating in this event or otherwise providing input, please contact:
Ryan Green, Tim.Green@deq.virginia.gov
Manager, Virginia CZM Program
(804) 698-4258
Catch the King Interest Survey
Contributed by Josie Shostak, Assistant Outreach Coordinator for Catch the King with Wetlands Watc
Catch the King (CTK) is an annual tide mapping event that recruits volunteers to collect flooding data during the Perigean tides—the highest tides of the year. As Wetlands Watch begins planning for this year’s crowdsourced flood data collection event, we’d like to hear from YOU! Whether you’re a new or returning volunteer, a local government seeking flood data, a non-profit hoping to form a team, or just someone interested in the event — please fill out this interest form so we can plan effective outreach and engagement this summer.
Catch the King is supported by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, one of our VMN sponsoring agencies.