Group: New report shows need to protect Virginia's environmental resources

Aside from natural beauty, Virginia’s natural assets contribute $21.8 billion to the state’s economy, according to a recent environmental report.

On Wednesday, Piedmont Environmental Council released a report that attempted to quantify the value of the state’s natural goods and services in money terms, to show the need for protecting Virginia’s natural resources, said Heather Richards, PEC vice president of conservation and rural programs.

Richards hopes the public can use the information when considering federal or state policies, or for debating whether to lift the moratorium on uranium mining in Virginia. Master’s student Aaron Paul in the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies authored the report through funding by PEC and The Berkley Scholars Conservation Program.

In the report, recreation was found to be the environment’s single largest economic benefit, as outdoor enthusiasts spend more than $8 billion in Virginia each year. Having clean water was valued as a service providing $5.2 billion each year while water quantity provided a $980 million service.

Farms and forests provide more than $4 billion worth or products annually, the report continued. Pittsylvania County is home to 1,356 farms totaling 274,289 acres, according to the latest agriculture census released in 2007.

Local farmers received more than $62.6 million for their products in 2007, said Fred “Freddie” Wydner, county director of agricultural development.

“First and foremost, agriculture is the county’s No. 1 industry, bar none,” Wydner said.

Pittsylvania County is ranked first in the state for beef cows, No. 1 in tobacco production and No. 4 for all hay, he added. The county is also home to the largest, third-largest and fifth-largest dairies in the state.

Chris Tompkins, founder and president of the Southern Virginia Mountain Bike Association, realizes it’s hard to quantify the value of the outdoors and nature’s assets.

Yet, he realizes recreation can be a community amenity, attracting others to visit or live in Danville. He estimated 400 people came into town to participate in the Shootout on Anglers Ridge mountain bike races in Danville last year. That means people spending money on gas or food in town.

The 27 miles of trails association members and volunteers have built over the past decade have become recognized as one of the highest ranking trail systems in the state, Tompkins said.

The city’s efforts in showcasing the Dan River with the Riverwalk Trail along with other outdoor amenities could even help with economic development, as companies or their employees are attracted to “quality of place,” as examined in the report.

“When I got into cycling and saw the terrain here and the ability to build what we could build, to me this is what I know Danville can be,” Tompkins said. “I know this is what it can mean for a lot of other people as well. It’s a great place to live. It’s a great place to play.”

The Dan River Basin Association gets calls from people all over the region and even out of state asking for the best places to fish, paddle or hike in the area, said DRBA Executive Director Tiffany Haworth. Outdoor recreation not only provides an economic benefit, but health and life-work balance benefits as well, as it’s an inexpensive way to exercise and reduce stress by spending time in nature.

“After they use it, they want to protect it,” Haworth said. “They can see and feel first-hand the benefit of our natural resources … and they want it to be available for future generations.”

The basin association, a member of the “Keep the Ban Coalition,” is against lifting the moratorium on uranium mining in Virginia.

“The uranium mining issue is huge and everyone needs to be educated about it, and of course, understand there are impacts to the environment and they are negative,” Haworth said.

Virginia Uranium Inc., which would like to tap a 119-million-pound deposit at Coles Hill in Pittsylvania County, maintains that stringent regulations, operational design and advances in modern mining and milling will ensure the protection of the environment and public health.

In a statement, VUI project manager Patrick Wales also highlighted a finding in a state-commissioned socioeconomic report by Chmura Economics & Analytics that more jobs and revenue from the project would improve local quality of life.

To read the PEC’s full “Economic Benefits of Natural Goods and Services” report, visit www.pecva.org.