Erchul Environmental Leadership Award Nominees 

Christy Everett
Hampton Roads Director
Chesapeake Bay Foundation 

Rationale:

Over the past three years, Ms. Everett has tirelessly worked on an extraordinary cause: preserving Pleasure House Point (PHP), the largest undeveloped property in the Lynnhaven River watershed (the Chesapeake Bay’s southernmost river). Her efforts culminated in 2012 with the City of Virginia Beach (the City) and the nationally-renowned Trust for Public Land (TPL) acquiring the 118-acre natural area and preserving in it in perpetuity.

As Hampton Roads Director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams, she successfully lobbied TPL to help transition the site from a potential 1,100-unit development toward a unique preservation partnership.

To preserve PHP, Ms. Everett helped the City secure $1 million from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries; $500,000 from the Dominion Foundation; and $500,000 from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation.

Currently she is focused on creating the Brock Environmental Center on a portion of CBF’s 10 acres at PHP. The Center will meet the Living Building Challenge, which encourages the most advanced sustainability standards in buildings possible. It will have a Net Zero impact on the environment while educating future generations about improving the Bay’s water quality.

Robert Lazaro, Jr.
Mayor
Town of Purcellville 

Rationale:

Mayor Lazaro has distinguished himself as a leader in the environmental arena. While it can be easy to implement environmental programs where money is no issue, it is truly an accomplishment when a small community Mayor can develop and implement creative programs that have an impact on not only our environment but people’s lives.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• 2012 Siemen’s Sustainability Community Award Winner - Small Community Category, one of three communities recognized nationally
• Updated BSWWF to cut the concentration of nitrogen by 50% and phosphorous concentration by 80%
• Partnered to create Environmental Education Nature Park for LV High School
• Led Town in receiving VML’s Certified Green Government Award for five consecutive years
• Created first “Committee on the Environment”
• Initiated Conservation Easement on 1,400 acres of Town watershed property
• Created state’s first Pilot LED Street Lighting Project installing 52 high efficiency street lights
• Received Governor’s Gold Medal Award for Government Environmental Excellence
• Received Tree City USA Award for the seventh year and Growth Award under Tree City USA for sixth time
• Developed Town’s first Water Conservation Program resulting in over one million gallons of water saved
• Chair of VML’s Environmental Quality Policy Committee
• Adopted the first Sustainable Procurement Policy
• Created/expanded Purcellville Tree Farm
• Planted hundreds of Town trees
• VDOH’s Bronze Excellent Award in WTP Performance
• Community cleanup events removing hundreds of bags of trash annually
• Stream/Buffer Zoning Ordinance to protect Town’s riparian land

W. Shelton Miles, III
Chair of the Board, 2006-2012
State Water Control Board 

Rationale:

Shelton Miles is a fulltime pastor and a fulltime farmer but has found time to make major contributions to water quality in Virginia. His passion is for Virginia's Rivers especially the Staunton River. He has served as chair of the Roanoke River Basin Commission Citizens' Committee, he has served as chairman of the Staunton River Citizens' PCB Advisory Committee, he has chaired the Citizens for the Preservation of the River (Staunton) and he has served as a board member of the Roanoke River Basin Association. He also served as chairman of the State Water Control Board for six years. He was first appointed to the SWCB by Governor Warner and reappointed by Governor Kaine. He also served on several regulatory advisory committees for the SWCB prior to serving on the Board. Shelton has an extraordinary ability to put people at ease and bring them together in consensus for progress on water quality issues.

Libby Norris
Virginia Watershed Restoration Specialist
Chesapeake Bay Foundation 

Rationale:

#1 Submission

On behalf of the Virginia State Dairymen's Association, I would like to nominate Libby Norris for the 2013 Erchul Environmental Leadership Award. Libby has been a valuable asset to the dairy industry in Virginia. Her ability to relate to producers has enabled her to help farmers maintain and improve water quality. Libby has also provided active outreach to the dairy industry through the "Farmers to the Bay" trip. Libby has also organized and led many grants and projects in the Shenandoah Valley that have worked towards improving water quality.

#2 Submission

As NRCS's Smith Creek coordinator for USDA's showcase watershed in Va., I have had a first hand view of Libby Norris's skills at working with landowners to promote conservation implementation. You can tell very quickly that conservation practices are more than just words on paper to her. She also has a unique way of making landowners feel comfortable and not overwhelmed with the BMP jargon.

As agencies promoting conservation, we each have our limitations or program rules. I remember five agencies sitting on picnic tables in a farmers front yard in Smith Creek as each presented their respective program information. I noticed her standing back, listening to the landowner questions. She ultimately took the landowners concerns and molded each agencies support into a project plan where CBF filled in the gaps to meet the landowners goals. This project will be the largest stream exclusion and stream bank restoration project in Smith Creek to date.

As coordinator, people have asked me what strategy we implemented to increase BMP implementation in Smith Creek. Nothing revolutionary is my response and I tell them this story. I can think of no person better deserving of the Erchul Environmental Leadership Award and I respectfully submitted the name of Libby Norris for your consideration.

#3 Submission

Libby Norris told me a story once about a cattle farmer she worked with who had pastures along the Shenandoah River. As they walked together through his fields, he said “you environmentalists float down the river and point fingers at me for letting my cattle drink out of the stream. But you never bother to come up here and see things from where I’m standing.” Libby bothers to listen, and as a result, she designs conservation practices that work for the farmer and water quality. She has also led efforts that demonstrate how conservation agencies and non-profits can work collaboratively, most recently in the Smith Creek watershed where nearly seven miles of livestock stream exclusion have been installed in the past three years. She is adept at securing funding from numerous sources for a project, in a process that is seamless for the farmer, and she has developed resources for other conservation professionals to do the same. She has introduced hundreds of Virginia farmers to watermen on Tangier Island, and has served as a bridge between the environmental community and farmers in support of state and federal cost share programs. She is not only good at her job, she is by far one of the most well-respected people I know.

#4 Submission

As an Extension Specialist in the Shenandoah Valley, I have worked with Libby Norris on a number of environmental and educational projects. I first worked with Libby on Farmers- to-the-Bay and Watermen-to-the-Valley exchanges that were developed to encourage better understanding and foster collaboration to address the water quality and environmental issues facing farmers and watermen in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Libby always established good rapport with the farmers and watermen, and they appreciated her knowledge of conservation and deep commitment to practical solutions to environmental challenges. Additionally, Libby has been a tremendous resource for Valley high school teachers and students interested in farming, environmental resource management, and hands-on educational experiences like tree planting, water quality monitoring, and riparian area restoration projects. Libby's conservation ethic is exemplary and she is most deserving of the recognition for environmental excellence.

#5 Submission

I am nominating Ms. Libby Norris, Virginia Watershed Restoration Specialist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for the 2013 Erchul Environmental Leadership Award.

Joe Maroon and I hired Ms. Norris many years ago as the first restoration scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Virginia. Through her leadership, Ms. Norris took a fledgling initiative and built it into an award-winning conservation program, one that has led to improved water quality, acres and acres of habitat restoration, new relationships among watermen, environmentalists, and farmers, and partnerships with other advocacy groups as well as state and federal agencies. She has leveraged funds in extraordinary ways—no one can stretch a dollar further than Ms. Norris—to the benefit of Virginia’s environment and agricultural heritage.

No one is more deserving than Ms. Norris of this award. She is the epitome of how one person can quietly, determinatively, and powerfully make a difference by respecting both friends and adversaries so as to accomplish fundamental environmental improvement.

#6 Submission

Libby Norris has spent more than 11 years representing the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley farm community. Her goal has been to meet, understand, and engage farmers in conservation projects that reduce pollution and improve the health of farm streams and the Chesapeake Bay.

As a Bay advocate with multiple biology degrees, Libby focuses on water quality, but she understands fully that good conservation must also benefit the farmer and his operation. Because of her knowledge and genuine conviction that conservation must be a win-win, she is always mindful of farmers’ individual situations, needs, and constraints in pursuing affordable, cost-effective conservation practices. That’s one reason Libby has been so successful in working with hundreds of farmers on scores of projects to fence livestock from farm streams, establish rotational grazing, plant riparian buffers, restore wetlands, and use other conservation practices. The projects not only have improved water quality but, for example, have helped farmers improve their herd health and pasture management.

But Libby also succeeds because of her natural friendliness, sensitivity, and integrity. Farmers respect and trust Libby because she respects and trusts farmers. She is an incredibly effective ambassador for clean water and Bay stewardship in the farm community. And through CBF’s “Farmer to the Bay” program, which she created a decade ago to take Shenandoah farmers on weekend trips to Tangier Island, Libby is an effective ambassador for the farm community among Virginia watermen. She is the consummate bridge-builder, creating a legacy of healthy farms and a healthy Bay.

#7 Submission

Please accept my nomination for Ms. Libby Norris, Virginia Restoration Scientist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for the 2013 Erchul Environmental Leadership Award. I have known and worked with Ms. Norris for many years and in many different capacities. I can say, without hesitation, that she is a committed conservationist who has led numerous efforts to engage multiple agencies and partners in environmental restoration on working lands. Her leadership has resulted in dialogues and cooperative efforts between the environmental and agricultural communities at unprecedented levels and with unparalleled success. She has played a leadership role in award winning projects including the Rappahannock Land Protection Partnership, which received a Partners in Conservation Award from the Secretary of the Interior in 2009. The Virginia Natural Resources Conservation Service recently awarded the Chesapeake Bay Foundation an Earth Team Partners award for Ms. Norris's efforts to engage hundreds of volunteers in the installation of stream buffers in the Shenandoah Valley. Ms. Norris's commitment to both clean water and viable farms, her vision and leadership in building bridges among communities, and her success in making on-the ground conservation goals a reality are a model for Bay restoration efforts around the watershed. The impacts she has had on the protection of Virginia's land and water is significant and worthy of recognition.

#8 Submission

There is no one who more deserves the 2013 Erchul Environmental Leadership Award then Libby Norris. Libby’s on-the-ground conservation work for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in the Shenandoah Valley combines optimism, environmental knowledge, and a down to earth approach that resonates with farmers. Her technical knowledge of state and federal Best Management Practices, combined with concern about Virginia’s water quality, gives her the credibility to get the job done. In the Valley, Libby is a wonderful partner who includes the state, federal and local groups necessary to find funding for and complete projects. A recent example is the Clean Streams Initiative she worked on in the Valley, helping bring together partners from Friends of the North Fork and Shenandoah River, NRCS, to the Department of Conservation and Recreation to Virginia Tech. This grant combined outreach and education related to conservation practices with funds to ramp up stream exclusion in targeted counties in the Valley. She has worked with partners to try some innovative education strategies such as bringing Shenandoah Valley Farmers to the Bay to see how the waterman farm and vice versa. She has led Smith Creek trips and is always game to try anything innovative to help water quality.

#9 Submission

Shenandoah Riverkeeper would like to Nominate Libby Norris of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for the Erchul Environmental Leadership Award. For years Libby has demonstrated that she can bridge the gap between an environmental organization and the farming community. This is no small gap and no small task. She has done it by working with landowners to promote farming practices that benefit the environment, and at the same time benefits the Shenandoah River. Libby, and her work, are highly respected throughout all factions of the community. I'm glad we have her working in the Shenandoah Valley.

#10 Submission

Ms. Norris is an energetic conservation leader. I previously participated in Chesapeake Bay Foundation's, led by her, "Farmer to the Bay" trips and have greatly enjoyed this educational and unique opportunity for farmers to experience the Chesapeake Bay. Libby has a reputation as both a friendly, and tenacious, conservationist working hands-on with Virginia farmers.

#11 Submission

I am President of Virginia Poultry Federation, and have worked with Libby Norris for several years. Libby deserves this award for her extraordinary efforts to work with farmers to implement conservation measures to protect water resources. She has spent many days and hours on farms and I have personally seen the results: award winning farming operations that set an example for farm stewardship. Libby has brought farmers to the Bay to see the importance of that extraordinary resource. She is a tremendous ambassador to the farm community, earning farmers' respect, and she has produced tangible water quality benefits through her efforts. Thank you. 
 

Walter Priest, III
Habitat Restoration Specialist
NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center 

Rationale:
Walter Priest received his B.S. in Biology from VMI in 1969, and his M.S. in Biology from ODU in 1977. He is certified as Professional Wetland Scientist by the Society of Wetland Scientists. His professional work experiences include the Virginia Department of Health Bureau of Shellfish Sanitation, the Norfolk District, Corps of Engineers in the Regulatory Functions Branch and the Wetlands Program at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, retiring after 27 years of service.

Walter has been with the NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center since 2004. His responsibilities include providing technical advice and project management for the NOAA Community-based Restoration Program which provides funding opportunities for local habitat restoration projects. He also provides technical advice on habitat restoration relating to the remediation of Super Fund sites and hazardous material spills.

Walter has authored over 40 publications and delivered over 25 presentations. He has received two Coastal America Spirit Awards for Wetland Creation and Restoration from the Virginia Association of Wetland Professionals. He has participated in the design, critical review and/or construction of over 80 acres of habitat restoration in over 40 separate projects involving tidal wetlands, riparian buffers, oyster reefs and sand dunes, and performed detailed multi-year monitoring on over 20 acres of tidal wetlands. 
 

Rebecca R. Rubin
President and CEO
Marstel-Day LLC 

Rationale:
Rebecca Rubin is the visionary founder of conservation and environmental consulting firm Marstel-Day. She is past Director of the Army’s Environmental Policy Institute and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. Ms. Rubin conceptualized the federal Encroachment Partnering and Conservation Conveyance statutes. The first allows the military services to partner with state, local and non-government conservation organizations to preserve military operating capabilities and fulfill environmental stewardship responsibilities by conserving off-base habitat and open space. The second allows the services to transfer lands for permanent conservation and open space, free of charge, to state and local government agencies and non-profit conservators. These two visionary achievements have conserved hundreds of thousands of acres, including in the Commonwealth. She initiated and has lead a pioneering multi-jurisdictional/ University of Mary Washington/non-government stakeholder climate change resiliency initiative in the Fredericksburg region. Ms. Rubin recently secured for her firm the first ever certification issued by the National Standards Foundation, International (NSFI) to P391, the General Sustainability Assessment Criteria for Services and Service Providers. Her leadership with the local Chamber of Commerce, chairing its green initiatives council and financing an annual prize honoring a local business for green initiatives are among many leadership efforts she has undertaken. She and her business are recognized for their environmental leadership nationally and in the Commonwealth, including by the inaugural (2010) Tayloe Murphy Resilience Awards Chairman's Award, the 2012 HUBZone Corporate Citizen of the Year Award, and the 2012 Association for Workplace Excellence Eco-Leadership Award. 
 

Thomas Smith
Director
Division of Natural Heritage, Department of Conservation and Recreation 

Rationale:
Tom Smith became DCR’s Natural Heritage Director in 1991. Under Tom’s leadership, the program has thrived, receiving The Nature Conservancy’s Outstanding Heritage Program Award in 1994 and NatureServe’s Conservation Impact Award in 2006 recognizing Tom and his staff for “outstanding and innovative efforts in applying natural heritage data to effect local and statewide conservation.”

Tom’s program, accomplishes much with modest staff and budgets. He is fair and respectful but demands competency and productivity. He has remained true to the foundation of all Natural Heritage Programs –developing a robust database on the state’s 9,000+ mapped locations of rare species habitats and significant natural communities. This data is available online providing accurate conservation planning information. Heritage data are used by 200 partners, with over 50% of all Virginia localities and 62% of all planning districts using it for land-use planning and other decision-making.

Tom’s balanced approach has included a variety of resource protection initiatives while he has insisted on providing timely information to the business community. This business-friendly approach has garnered respect for DCR, as has Tom’s focus on land conservation culminating in a first-in-class system of state natural areas, now totaling 61 preserves and protecting 54,803 acres of Virginia’s most special places.

Also, under Tom’s watch the program has discovered 300 species new to Virginia with 31 new to science, completed the Flora of Virginia, hosted a national natural areas conference, staffed the Virginia Invasive Species Working Group and tracked land conservation goals for two administrations. 

 

Jordan Starbuck
Sustainability Coordinator
Virginia Commonwealth University 

Rationale:

Jordan Starbuck's passion for conserving the environment led her from a volunteered position to a full-time job in her chosen field. After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in the spring of 2008 with a degree in business management and administration, Jordan found herself, like most students after graduation, without a job. She knew she wanted to get into the recycling and sustainability arena. After speaking with a woman who has been working in the business for over 20 years, she could not offer her a position but gave her the name of a person with whom she should volunteer. Jordan became a volunteer with the Environmental Conservationist at the VCU Physical Plant Department in September 2008. She spent about 20 hours a week working, understanding and learning as much as possible to gain the experience she was lacking. By March 2009, Jordan's persistence and commitment to her volunteer position paid off when VCU changed her role to a part-time paid position. She continued to work hard and by July 2009, she successfully competed against 70 other applicants and was offered a full-time position as the Sustainability Coordinator for VCU. 
 

Robert N. Whitescarver
President, Whitescarver Natural Resources Management LLC
Adjunct Professor, James Madison University 

Rationale:

Last fall adjunct professor Bobby Whitescarver taught my Natural Resource Management course at James Madison University. Of all the professors that I’ve had so far at JMU, I’d have to say that Bobby was by far the most inspirational! His passion and experience really helped inspire me in my own environmental pursuits and in my accomplishments in his class. However, outside of the classroom Bobby is a busy environmental consultant working with many locals and farmers of the Shenandoah Valley, helping them take advantage of the environmental management programs and government subsidies available to them. By doing this, he is not only helping them improve the environmental quality of their land but also helping the countless others downstream that rely on the waters of the Shenandoah Valley Watershed. With the experience of 31 years with the Department of Agriculture’s Natural Conservation Service behind him and under his belt, Bobby has helped with almost 500 miles of stream bank restoration projects. Regularly Bobby tries to include his classes in these projects giving his students a hands on experience with natural resource management. I believe Bobby Whitescarver deserves the Erchul Environmental Leadership Award because he’s taking the time to educate and inspire potential future environmental leaders through his expertise and experiences.