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Area Agriculture Experts On Hand at April 27 Commission Meeting
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In conjunction with the Commission's annual Board/Staff Retreat this year, there were two presentations on the timely and pertinent subject of "Regional Agricultural Protection and the Area Food Economy."
Local Cooperative Extension Agents Kenner Love and Brad Jarvis shared of their longstanding experience in the region, providing information on contributions from agriculture to the Virginia economy. Among other compelling statistics:
• American consumers buy $880 billion of food each year, yet only 1/10 of 1% of this amount was purchased directly from farmers
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Agriculture and forestry together are the #1 industry in Virginia
• Mid-size farms are declining at a rapid rate while the number of small and large farms is increasing
• As longtime farmers retire, younger families who might replace them cannot afford the land costs to get started
• Local food sales grew from $4 billion in 2002 to $7 billion in 2007 and are projected to reach $11 billion in 2011
• Escalating transportation costs and concerns about food
security are contributing to the popularity of "buy local" initiatives
Jim Epstein and Mark Seale of Blue Ridge Produce Company were also on hand to share of their insights, as well as provide an overview of their new Culpeper-based produce aggregation business. Possible ways of supporting area agriculture:
• Providing as many options as possible
for producers increases the likelihood of a farmer's success. Options
include aggregating services such as sorting, packing, contracting,
composting, central processing, as well as community supported agriculture
(CSA) and farmer's markets
• Creating a local brand can enhance value. Enabling farmers
to differentiate their product can help increase profits
• Encouraging schools, hospitals, prisons, to buy local
through participation in area "farm to table" programs
• Creating a fund for assisting with certification costs
(average fee is $500 annually) can enable more farmers to obtain
GAP (good agriculture practices) certification
• Educating consumers can help build awareness as to why
buying local is important and beneficial to all of us in the R-R
region.
The Commission extends its thanks to each of the
presenters, and looks forward to continuing participation on this
important topic.
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Regional Coordination Initiative Ongoing at Quantico Marine Corps Base
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Aimed at improving planning, coordination and communication
between the base and surrounding counties, a Regional Executive Steering
Committee and Quantico Regional Planning Team have been formed, comprised
of administrative and planning staff from Prince William, Stafford
and Fauquier Counties and the three planning district commissions
which represent them: the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC),
George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC), and Rappahannock-Rapidan
Regional Commission (RRRC).
Board of Supervisor Member Terry Nyhous and Planning Director Rick
Carr serve Fauquier County on the Committees along with RRRC Executive
Director Jeff Walker and GIS Program Manager Patrick Mauney on behalf
of the RRRC. A pair of introductory committee meetings has been held
thus far.
With upwards of 2,700 new personnel coming to Quantico as a result
of the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC), the intent, among
other objectives, is to help facilitate a more coordinated effort
with respect to land use and transportation planning, economic development,
growth management and related issues.
For more information on the regional planning effort, please contact
John Rosewarne, BRAC Coordinator at Quantico Marine Corps Base.
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Regional Long Range Transportation Plan Update
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The Regional Commission, by way of its Rural Transportation
Technical Committee (RTC) and in cooperation with the Virginia Department
of Transportation, Department of Rail and Public Transportation and
other interested stakeholders, is nearing completion of its review
of a VDOT consultant-prepared Regional Long Range Transportation Plan.
Development of the draft plan at VDOT's direction has entailed identification
and analysis of long range transportation goals for the region's multi-modal
transportation infrastructure, inclusive of highways, railways, airports,
bicycle and pedestrian facilities and human services transportation,
among numerous other topics addressed in the report.
The RTC has reviewed the plan drafts provided by a VDOT-procured consultant
and responded with comments, changes, and requests for incorporation
into a final draft plan. The RTC expects to forward its recommendation
with respect to the finalized plan document at its meeting on June
1 to Members of the Regional Commission for consideration at their
upcoming June 22 meeting.
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Fauquier County Plan Under Development for New Riverfront Park
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Fauquier County is in the process of preparing
an interpretive and conceptual park site plan for 26 acres of
publicly-owned land along the Rappahannock River located within
the Rappahannock Station and Rappahannock II core Civil War
battlefields not far from Main Street in the Town of Remington.
The Fauquier County Department of Parks and Recreation and community
partners are working with landscape architecture firm Lardner/Klein
to develop a historically and environmentally sensitive river
access plan meeting both local recreational needs and cultural
tourism goals.
The ongoing planning process is anticipated to last approximately
nine months and involve the public with respect to numerous
significant ecological and historical aspects of the site.
Further information on the planning process can be found at:
http://www.lardnerklein.com/rapp_index.html
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Above:
Location of park plan development by Fauquier County Parks &
Recreation Department (from project website)
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Local & State Redistricting Process Moving Forward
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Following the release of population data from the
2010 U.S. Census in early February, localities in Virginia and the
General Assembly began the process of mandatory decennial redistricting
in order to meet the U.S. Department of Justice's one person, one
vote requirement, and to ensure that there is an absence of racial
discriminatory purpose and effect in the accompanying redistricting
process.
In the Rappahannock-Rapidan region, four counties and one town elect their governing bodies from districts. With assistance from the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission, redistricting ordinances were adopted in Culpeper County on April 5th, Orange County on April 26th and Rappahannock County on May 2nd. The Town of Warrenton is also working with the Regional Commission to identify its redistricting options for the five wards located in the town.
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On the state level, the redistricting process
resulted in several bills being introduced in both the House
of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia, with plans for redistricting
both chambers of the General Assembly, as well as the Virginia
Congressional District boundaries. Previously, HB 5001 was passed
by both chambers on April 11, but vetoed by Governor McDonnell
on April 15. A revised redistricting bill, HB 5005, passed both
the House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia and was signed
into law by Governor McDonnell on April 29.
Map
of PD9 House of Delegates Representation | Map
of PD9 Senate of Virginia Representation
Adopted redistricting plans, on both the state and local levels, have been submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice for review and approval.
The Virginia Congressional District boundaries remain in the process of being defined. The House of Delegates has passed its version, HB 5004, while the Senate of Virginia has identified its own plan for congressional redistricting, SB 5004.
Full details of all of the redistricting plans for the General Assembly
and Congressional District can be found at http://redistricting.dls.virginia.gov.
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Above:
The Virginia House of Delegates 2011 Redistricting plan
in the Rappahannock-Rapidan region. Click on the links to the left for larger versions of the House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia plans in the region.
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Spring Fire Season Ended, But Continued Caution
While Burning is Urged
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Spring fire season officially ended at midnight Saturday (April 30) along with the prohibition on outdoor burning before 4 p.m., but officials with the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) caution that conditions are not ideal and that the threat of wildland fires is still very real.
From January 1st through April 30th, the VDOF responded to 609 wildland fires that burned 11,285 acres. Agency employees and members of numerous volunteer fire departments protected 848 homes and 495 other structures. Fifteen homes were damaged.
Significant fire activity occurred in mid-February as high winds whipped up fires across the state. Valentine's Day saw 81 fires consume 1,858 acres, including a 176-acre fire in Dinwiddie County and a 760-acre fire in Craig County. February 19 saw 135 fires burn more than 7,701 acres. Across the state that day, 478 acres burned in Middlesex County, 907 acres in Louisa County and 1,262 in Rockingham County.
These figures represent a 42 percent increase in the number of fires and a 241 percent increase in the number of acres burned this year compared to last year. Comparable increases were seen in the number of homes and other structures protected. During the same period in 2010, a total of 424 wildfires burned 3,297. The remainder of the 2011 season was marked by short periods of light to moderate fire activity. Periodic rainfall helped reduce the number and size of fires.
"Even though the calendar says that spring fire season is over doesn't mean that the threat of wildland fires has ended," said John Miller, VDOF's director of resource protection. He noted that yard debris, such as leaves and downed tree limbs and branches, are often burned as part of "spring cleaning." These fires increase the potential threat of wildland fires.
Debris burning remains the No. 1 cause of wildland fires in Virginia, and Miller urges anyone planning to burn, regardless of the time of year, to properly prepare by clearing the area around the place to be burned; have available sufficient water and hand tools, such as a shovel or rake, and burn only when conditions of high humidity and low wind speed are present.
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Find a Park and Ride Lot Near You!
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RRRC Commuter Services is presently participating
in a VDOT statewide Park and Ride Study along with other rideshare
program representatives across the Commonwealth.
The goals of the initiative, among others, are to: identify opportunities
for improvement and expansion of the statewide park and ride lot system,
improve public awareness of and access to information about the facilities,
and enhance collaboration with variousl multimodal partners. Recommendations
for existing and proposed lot facilities and accompanying network
best practices will be developed.
To see a map of park and ride lots in the R-R region with directions
to a location nearest you, and save by sharing a ride, please visit:
http://www.rrcommute.org/pdf/Park_and_Ride_lots.pdf.
Or if you are already carpooling, and have suggestions for a new park
and ride lot location, please contact RRRC Commuter Services at: (540)
829-7451 or commute@rrregion.org
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Then & Now: Across the
Rappahannock-Rapidan Region
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Town of Washington,
VA
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Then
Source: RRRC Archives
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Now
Source: Patrick Mauney, RRRC
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The Town of Washington and specifically, the present-day
Inn at Little Washington, are shown above in an undated photo from
the RRRC photo archives and in February 2011. The Town of Washington
was surveyed in 1749 by a young George Washington and two chainmen
and they laid out the exisiting five-block by two-block grid that
exists today. The Town was officially establised in 1796 by the General
Assembly of Virginia, incorporated in 1894 and joined the Regional
Commission in 2008.
If you have historic postcards or photographs that you would like
to see in this feature, please contact the Regional Commission at
(540) 829-7450 or planinfo@rrregion.org.
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Regional Stat: 2010 U.S. Census Data
Release Schedule
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As referenced in the Redistricting Update above, some
data from the 2010 United States Census have been released. Thus far,
data sets for total population, population by race, Hispanic or latino
population and population 18 years or older have been released, along
with number of housing units and housing occupancy status information
(shown in the table below).
Throughout 2011 and into 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau will continue
to release detailed statistics from the 2010 Census, most related
to demographics and population. A schedule of anticipated releases
can be found at http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2010/glance/.
It should be noted that many of the data sets previously found in
Summary File 3 taken from the Census "Long Form," are now
found in the annually updated American Community Survey. All data
can be accessed via the U.S. Census Bureau website at http://www.census.gov.
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Housing
Occupancy Status, 2010 Census
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Jurisdiction
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Total
Units |
Occupied |
Vacant |
%
Occupied |
| R-R
Region |
67,644 |
60,939 |
6,705 |
90.1% |
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| Culpeper
County |
17,657 |
16,231 |
1,426 |
91.9% |
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Fauquier
County
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25,600 |
23,658 |
1,942 |
92.4% |
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Madison
County
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5,932 |
5,083 |
849 |
85.7% |
| Orange
County |
14,616 |
12,895 |
1,721 |
88.2% |
| Rappahannock
County |
3,839 |
3,072 |
767 |
80.0% |
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| Town
of Culpeper |
6,271 |
5,772 |
499 |
92.0% |
| Town
of Gordonsville |
710 |
632 |
78 |
89.0% |
| Town
of Madison |
107 |
87 |
20 |
81.3% |
| Town
of Orange |
1,991 |
1,779 |
212 |
89.4% |
| Town
of Remington |
256 |
233 |
23 |
91.0% |
| Town
of The Plains |
105 |
85 |
20 |
81.0% |
| Town
of Warrenton |
3,966 |
3,744 |
222 |
94.4% |
| Town
of Washington |
97 |
66 |
31 |
68.0% |
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Source:
U.S. Census Bureau
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