Presented by Virginia Conservation Network

Sponsors: Virginia Beach Convention Center, Crocs 19th Street Eco-Bistro, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Hampton Roads Green Jobs Alliance, Virginia Environmental Endowment, Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, Lynnhaven River Now, Wetlands Watch, Virginia Sportsman, Green Economic Alliance, Green Caffeine, Hampton Roads Green Drinks, Virginia Peninsula Green Drinks, Virginia Beach Green Drinks.

Admission: $30 adults (includes breakfast and lunch), $10 students, $40 day-of; Additional charges for Sat. afternoon cruise and kayak tour (both are limited to 20 participants).  Last day for online registration is September 15th.  Onsite registration/ Day-of registration is available for $40.

Auction Items: Details (Print a Donation Form)

Auction Items include: Private Guided Tour of the National Zoo; Family Fun Pack to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens; Colonial Williamsburg Destination Package; Virginia Beach Destination Package; Jewelry; Fly Fishing Package; Seal Splash Tickets from the Virginia Aquarium and more !

Agenda

Fri., Sept. 17

* 4:00 p.m. Registration Opens

* 5:00 p.m. Green Tour of VB Convention Center

When entering the new Virginia Beach Convention Center, visitors are stunned by the dynamic facility features more than 500,000 square feet of flexible space. Join VCN for a private tour of the Convention Center.

* 6:00 p.m. Welcome Reception and Silent Auction to support VCN’s environmental education programs.   

Enjoy refreshing cocktails and networking in the VIP Tower Lounge. Auction Items include: Private Guided Tour of the National Zoo; Family Fun Pack to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens; Colonial Williamsburg Destination Package; Virginia Beach Destination Package; Jewelry; Fly Fishing Package; Seal Splash Tickets from the Virginia Aquarium and more !

If you cannot make the Welcome Reception and Auction, please join us from 7:30-9:00 PM at Croc's Eco-Bistro Outdoor Seating Area for Happy Hour $1 Drinks and Appetizers until 9 pm.                               

Sat., Sept. 18

* 8:30 a.m. Breakfast & Registration

* 9:30 a.m. Welcome: Mayor Sessoms

* 10:00 a.m. Rising Seas: Myth or Menace - Skip Stiles, Wetlands Watch

Wetlands Watch works on the local level to help homeowners, developers and regulators avoid and minimize wetlands impacts from activities like dredging, bulkheaading, sprawl and shoreline development. On the state level, Wetlands Watch studies trends in wetlands-disturbing activities and regulatory practices, identifies the factors that undermine wetlands protection, and develops recommendations to promote more effective stewardship of our wetlands resources.

* 10:00 a.m. City of Virginia Beach Uranium Mining Study and the Drinking Water Supply - Thomas Leahy, Director of Public Utilities
 
Leahy is the person responsible for providing safe drinking water to homes, hotels and military bases in Virginia Beach.  He will discuss the potential risk that uranium mining poses to the city's main water source, Lake Gaston, and explain the major study underway to asses that risk.
   

* 10:45 a.m. Break

* 11:00 a.m. A New Era for Chesapeake Bay

       - Anthony Moore, Va. Assistant Sec. for Chesapeake Bay Restoration
       - Ann Jennings, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
       - Jeff Corbin, Environmental Protection Agency

Despite nearly 30 years of clean-up efforts from all levels of government, conservation groups and stakeholders, the Chesapeake Bay watershed remains a challenged ecosystem. The tidal waters of the Bay continue to be enriched with the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, and sediment. This excess of nutrients and sediments leads to problems such as annual dead zones, loss of habitat for aquatic species in the Bay and tidal waters, as well as localized water quality concerns in many upstream rivers.

* 12:00 p.m. Lunch (included in registration cost)

* 1:00 p.m. Winds of Change: Coastal Energy in Virginia

       - Al Pless, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
       - George Hagerman, Va. Coastal Energy Consortium

By investing in offshore wind, Virginia stands to see economic gains in the form of new jobs manufacturing and installing wind turbines. 

* 3:00 p.m. Virginia Aquarium Research Vessel Cruise or Lynnhaven River Kayak Tour * (extra fees apply)  Carpools depart at 2:30 PM.


Sponsors:

To sponsor a portion of the event, phone 804-644-0283. (Print a sponsor form)

Exhibits: Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Choose Clean Water Coalition, Coastal Zone Management Program, Back Bay Restoration Foundation, Solar Services, Partnership for Smarter Growth, Coastal Canoeists, Wetlands Watch, Appalachian Voices, Teaming With Wildlife Coalition, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Public Policy Virginia, Virginia League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, Dan River Basin Association, Energized Fauquier, Green Jobs Alliance.

A few spaces are still available, phone 804-644-0283. (Print an exhibitor form)

Getting There: The LEED Gold–certified Virginia Beach Convention Cnter is located at 1000 19th St. Take I-264 East to its terminus. Make a right onto Parks Ave., then the next right onto 19th St.

Lodging: The deadline to place a reservation at the Sheraton Oceanfront Hotel has passed. Please visit the hotel listings in Virginia Beach website or you can reserve a campsite at First Landing State Park.