Case Study

Promoting Ecotourism to Conserve a Watershed in Virginia

Realizing the Lower Chickahominy Watershed would one day be at risk of development for economic gain, the coastal planner with the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program decided to be proactive in exploring ideas for conserving this resource.

Year

2023

Details

Hazards

Flooding – Coastal

Erosion and Shoreline Recession

Assets

Water Infrastructure – General

Sources

Capital Region Land Conservancy Charles City County Virginia Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Chickahominy Indian Tribe Hampton Roads Planning District Commission James City County Virginia New Kent County Virginia Pamunkey Indian Tribe Richmond Regional Planning District Commission Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program University of Virginia

Using funding from NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program began working with individuals from county agencies who work toward protecting coastal resources. The group decided to start promoting ecotourism as a way to bring in additional revenue, rather than risking the asset be lost to development in the future. After participating in Social Science Basics for Coastal Managers—a NOAA Digital Coast training offered through the Chesapeake Bay-Virginia National Estuarine Research Reserve—the program’s coastal planner employed some of the skills learned from the training for engaging interested stakeholder groups.

Follow the link below to access this Peer to Peer case study as published in Digital Coast by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management.