The Partners Program in Virginia is administered from the Virginia Field Office in Gloucester, Virginia. The program began in 1989 with restoration efforts concentrated on non-tidal wetland habitats in the coastal plain and stream restoration in the mountains of southwest Virginia. Projects are focused in areas where conservation efforts will provide the greatest benefit for federal trust species. In recent years, the Partners Program has focused more effort on the Chesapeake Bay, especially the James River and Bayside Eastern Shore, and on recovery of aquatic species in Appalachian watersheds. The Partners Program has also been expanded to include a significant focus on longleaf pine community restoration in Southside Virginia.
HABITATS OF SPECIAL CONCERN
Migratory Birds
The Eastern Shore of Virginia/Maryland/Delaware is a critical area for migratory waterbirds and songbirds. The PFW program has focused on establishment of vegetative corridors to link blocks of high quality habitats in this coastal zone, providing safe passage for migrating birds.
Forested Wetlands
Virginia has lost 42% of its original wetlands since the 1780s. Substantial wetland losses have continued in recent decades. In the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the largest loss of forested wetlands in the 1980's was in Virginia. It is estimated that Virginia lost more than 17,800 acres of wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed between 1982 and 1989, primarily due to conversion for agriculture and urban related development. Sixty-four percent of Virginia's remaining freshwater wetlands, predominantly forested wetlands, are located in the coastal plain. Of these, a large number have been ditched, impairing many of their natural functions.
Endangered Species
Virginia harbors 66 enadangered, threatened, and candidate species, the highest concentration on the Atlantic Coast. The Upper Tennessee River Basin of southwest Virginia is a globally rare ecosystem with an unusually high diversity of aquatic freshwater species, 27 species of federally listed fishes and mussels.
Contact Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in Virginia
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Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in Virginia is not employed by or affiliated with the Virginia Land Conservation Assistance Network, and the Network does not certify or guarantee their services. The reader must perform their own due diligence and use their own judgment in the selection of any professional.
Contact Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in Virginia
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
6669 Short Lane
Gloucester, VA 23061
Phone: 804-824-2412
Fax: (804) 693-9032
Service Area
