Norfolk District expands its footprint at Environment Virginia Symposium

Posted April 14, 2011
By Jerry Rogers
Norfolk District Public Affairs

04/14/2011 – LEXINGTON, Va. — "We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors: we borrow it from our children."

This famous Native American proverb speaks volumes about the current state of our nation's complex environmental problems, which if left unresolved, threaten the future ability of our children to enjoy the wondrous natural beauty too often taken for granted.

That's why more than 50 environmental scientists and other staff of the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, attended the 22nd Annual Environment Virginia Symposium, held April 5-7 on the campus of the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va.

With the symposium theme, "Sustainable Solutions for Uncertain Times," the Norfolk District team joined representatives of the private and public sectors as well as non-governmental organizations to exchange information, technology and ideas that will contribute to a prosperous economic and environmentally sustainable future.

"The symposium was a superb venue for our regulatory staff to meet one of its focus areas this year of increased transparency," said Michael Darrow, chief of Norfolk District's Water Resources Division. "Everyone took the opportunity to explain our Corps mission, capabilities and support to the Commonwealth of Virginia to our public and private counterparts, as well as to environmental consultants and interested public citizens."

The Environment Virginia Symposium is the brainchild of Ron Erchul, a former VMI professor and retired U.S. Navy captain, who, nearly a quarter century ago, received a grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment to conduct research on groundwater contamination in the Shenandoah Valley. As part of that grant, VMI held a conference to report the results of his research and to encourage others to join in the quest for solutions to complex environmental issues. Today's symposium is a continuation of partnering efforts for economic and environmental success in Virginia over the past 22 years.

Mark Mansfield, chief of Planning and Policy for the WRD, served on the symposium program development committee and, using the concepts of the project management business process, developed a project management plan that integrated the contributions of several district members into this year's conference agenda.

Col. Andrew Backus, district commander, led a plenary session entitled "Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load and the Watershed Implementation Plan"; Hal Wiggins, regulatory branch, provided a presentation, "Low Impact Development and Section 404 Clean Water Act Permitting"; and Jeanne Richardson, regulatory branch, moderated sessions on "In-Lieu Fee Mitigation: New Initiatives and Frameworks" and "Case Studies of Mitigation Banking."

In his published message to symposium attendees, retired Army Gen. J. H. Binford Peay III, VMI superintendent, acknowledged their daily efforts and leadership on behalf of environmental sustainability, and cited a recent tragedy of global importance that make their cause more urgent.

"Fortunate to live in this beautiful Commonwealth, we are surrounded by abundant natural resources. Human ingenuity has allowed us to use these resources to advance the human condition, but we are mindful of the limits imposed by the forces of nature," Peay said. "As we meet, the people of Japan are coping with an environmental and human crisis that defies description. The world community has united to provide assistance. It is one of the greatest struggles ever witnessed between man and his environment. We pause to reflect on their situation, grateful for this opportunity to come together in search of meaningful and lasting solutions."

John Evans, environmental scientist and longtime district employee, attended the symposium for the first time with many of his regulatory colleagues. He said he was extremely impressed with the intense two-day symposium and that it was well organized and presented a diverse and informative environmental update.

"We really got the big picture on pollution and nutrient reduction efforts for the Chesapeake Bay," Evans said. "We explored other opportunities for low impact development with regards to stormwater management and met with other environmental firms to discuss the Corps' permit process."

The regulatory team talked with several small business firms and directed them to the district's small business office for contract opportunities. They also networked with other environmental agency staff, including the Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"We were all interested in learning about some of the products and services available to make data collection less costly and more efficient; future energy sources; wetland and stream mitigation updates; and new perspectives on global warming, climate change and future population growth predictions," Evans said.

This year's symposium also featured a special session on social media that provided an overview of the tools available and how global corporations, like Coca Cola, Inc., as well as smaller Virginia organizations are communicating effectively in today's world.

Mark Haviland, public affairs chief for Norfolk District, presented, "What's Possible in the World of Social Media," to an overflow breakout session. His presentation covered social-media startup; using Norfolk District's award-winning social media sites as a model; online tools, such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, video and photo sharing; basic web research and internal investigation; and communication rules.

"Feedback has been nothing but positive, and we plan to continue this as an annual event," Darrow said.