VIMS

Partnerships

Friends Organizations
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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.

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.

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.