Conservation and Restoration of Biodiverse Chowan Watershed to Provide Climate Resilience, Tribal Collaboration, and Public Access

Recipient: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality/Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program

Project Type: Land Conservation

Recommended Funding Amount: $5,631,150

Congressional District(s): VA-04

Summary: This project will allow Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation to acquire 1,900 acres of one of the largest unprotected blocks of contiguous forest in the Albemarle-Pamlico watershed region. The purchase will allow for the future restoration of climate-resilient forests in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, improve water quality in the Chowan River basin, provide an impetus for novel communication and collaboration with regional American Indian tribes, and create one of the region’s preeminent public access opportunities.

For more information on the Office for Coastal Management grant program funding this project, please visit the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law webpage.