Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is member of the Virginia Conservation Network. The talking points below are derived from materials produced by VCN and their members. We have highlighted links to additional talking points for these bills as well. A link for contact information  is at the bottom of the page.

Support – Ensuring Integrity of Conservation Easements, SB1199

Patron: Peterson

• Conservation easements are a critical tool for protecting Virginia’s most valuable habitats, working lands, scenic viewsheds and cultural landscapes.
• This legislation ensures that courts interpret easements in a way that protects donor intent and achieves the conservation purposes for which the easement was created.

Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources.

Support – Strengthening interagency coordination and planning for wildlife corridors, SB1274

Patron: Marsden

• This bill builds on the efforts of the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan (WCAP) passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2020. It seeks to make Virginia safer for both wildlife and citizens. It does this ensuring that wildlife corridors identified in the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan are integrated into the strategic planning documents of other agencies with activities that could impact wildlife movement and public safety.
• By prioritizing wildlife movement corridors and planning for them, we can help wildlife move safely through the landscape and reduce the vehicular collisions that cost over $533 million annually, saving both money and lives.

Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources.

Support – Replacement and conservation of trees during development, SB1393

Patron: Marsden

• The current statute limits localities’ authority to preserve and conserve their tree canopies. This bill enables localities to adopt higher replacement percentages (than the current range cap of 10-30%) where trees are used to meet water quality, flooding management, and equity goals.
• This bill expands the provisions in the statute, Va. Code 15.2-961.1. to allow local governments to establish a tree fund or tree bank, providing offsite options for developers unable to achieve the canopy replacement percentages onsite.

This bill has a companion bill, HB2042.

 Contact information for legislative contacts, Loudoun representatives and the Natural Resource Committee Members for the House and Senate.

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