Friends
Organizations
Efforts
are underway to involve local citizens in Reserve activities.
Volunteers will be involved in water quality monitoring programs,
wildlife observation and monitoring, public education workshops
and field trips, trail maintenance and cleanup.
The Friends
of York River State Park is a nonprofit, citizen's group whose
mission is to provide voluntary assistance for the continued
preservation and conservation of the park. The group educates
the community about park offerings and supplies funds, materials
and labor for special projects. Members enjoy special friends-only
events throughout the year. Learn more about the group by
contacting the park at (757) 566-3036 or yorkriver@dcr.state.va.us.
Governmental Partners
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Virginia
Department of Environmental Quality
The
Virginia
Department of Environmental Quality serves as the
lead agency for Virginia's networked Coastal Program
and helps agencies and localities to develop and implement
coordinated coastal policies. Core management programs
include tidal and nontidal wetlands, sand dunes, subaqueous
lands, shoreline sanitation, point and nonpoint source
pollution control, fisheries, and coastal lands management.
Other areas of particular concern include coastal wildlife
habitats, public access, waterfront redevelopment, and
underwater historic sites.
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Virginia
Department of Conservation and Recreation
The
Taskinas Creek component of the Reserve is located within
the boundaries of Virginia's Department of Conservation
and Recreation, York
River State Park. Approximately 11 miles west of
Williamsburg, the park offers visitors an opportunity
to experience the environment of a coastal estuary.
The main focus of the park is to preserve a portion
of York River frontage and its related marshes while
providing an area for passive day-use recreation for
visitors. The park's natural resources make it a significant
place for environmental education at all levels.
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Middle
Peninsula Planning District Commission
The
Reserve is an active participant in the Dragon Run Special
Area Management Plan (SAMP) sponsored by the Middle
Peninsula Planning District Commission and the Dragon
Run Steering Committee. The SAMP spans the entire
140 square mile Dragon Run Watershed on the Middle Peninsula
of Virginia, including portions of the counties of Essex,
Gloucester, King and Queen, and Middlesex. The project's
mission is to support and promote community-based efforts
to preserve the cultural, historic, and natural character
of the Dragon Run, while preserving property rights
and the traditional uses within its watershed. Key focus
areas identified during planning forums include local
government and policy, traditional uses and habitat
management, and educating the public and public access.
The Dragon Run SAMP is a five-year project (2002-2006)
funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) through the Virginia Department of Environmental
Quality's Coastal Program.
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