VA HJR247

Commends the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District on its 87th anniversary, established in April 1939 as an independent unit of state government

The district serves Albemarle, Fluvanna, Louisa, and Nelson Counties and the City of Charlottesville, encompassing 2,010 square miles with more than 240,000 residents, making it the largest soil and water conservation district in Virginia

Since 1998, the district has protected more than 458 miles of stream banks through livestock exclusion projects and facilitated riparian buffer projects covering more than 5,000 acres

Since 2013, the district has implemented 318 residential stormwater runoff best management practices, reducing runoff on more than two million square feet of impermeable surfaces, and provided environmental education to more than 23,000 students and 5,000 adults

The district operates flood control dams, administers conservation cost-share programs, partners with over 30 organizations, and owns Secluded Farm, a 150-acre wildlife refuge near Monticello