Governor Terry McAuliffe stopped by Leesylvania State Park today to talk about their living shorelines erosion control project, and preservation initiatives happening in Virginia.
Leesylvania was the 25th stop for McAuliffe’s plan to visit every Virginia State Park during the remainder of his term.
During his remarks, McAuliffe spoke on state initiatives to protect the environment and park lands.
“We’re rolling out today…really historic investments that we have made – the largest investments ever in protecting our land conservation, land preservation – our state park investments, which were so important… we have got to protect our water. We have got to protect our natural resources,” said McAuliffee.
According to McAuliffe, $16 million was allotted to the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, and $2 million was allotted for battlefield preservation in Virginia’s budget. He expanded on the additional investments that Virginia is making with their environmental preservation efforts.
“I’m proud to announce that this year we had the single largest investment in Virginia’s history, for agriculture, water quality, best management practices, and we additionally put some more money in our soil and water conservation districts,” said McAuliffe.
Parks are big business for Virginia, according to McAuliffe.
“We are very unique. I love our state parks…what a huge asset for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Last year I announced that we had 40 million visitors to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s [parks] – it’s a $26 billion industry, tourism is, for the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said McAuliffe.
Leesylvania State Park is one of the first states to take out a low-interest loan through the State Water Control Board’s Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund for the living shoreline project, said McAuliffe.
“Here we’re doing a very innovative approach called a living shoreline – really to stabilize this beautiful area, protect the Bay, and the natural habitat that we have. It’s a tremendous asset for the Leesylvania State Park, and for the Potomac Heritage Trail,” said McAuliffe.
According to the Northern Virginia Regional Commission’s website, the project will include sills, marsh restoration, and beach enhancement.
