ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, March 25, 1996 TAG: 9603270007
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: The Green Scene
SOURCE: CATHRYN MCCUE
We've spent the last two months following environmental bills through the General Assembly. We'll give a final update once Gov. George Allen acts on those bills that made it to his desk.
Meanwhile, back in Western Virginia, spring has sprung, and there are lots of upcoming events:
March 30 is the 18th Annual Clean Valley Day, sponsored by the Clean Valley Council for Roanoke and Botetourt counties, Roanoke, Salem and Vinton. Clubs, church groups, schools, businesses, neighborhood associations and families are encouraged to spend the day picking up litter at their chosen park, parking lot, stream bank or other spot. The council would be glad to suggest some sites that need cleaning.
The council will provide trash bags, and the localities will collect full bags left at the curb of a cleaned area. Landfill passes will be available for those who haul their own trash. For information or to register, call 345-5523.
Montgomery County will have its own volunteer litter cleanup day, called Broomin' & Bloomin', on April 20, sponsored by the Montgomery County Improvement Council. All volunteers receive a T-shirt and can enjoy a picnic with live music and door prizes afterward. Call 382-5793 for more information.
The springtime litter bug has bitten the governor as well. Allen has designated April as Operation Spruce-Up Month. Last year, thousands of Virginians cleaned state parks, beaches and other natural areas, hauled away dead wood, planted trees, painted fences and groomed hiking trails.
To register or for information, call Paige Tucker at (804) 371-2675.
"The James River: Headwaters to the Chesapeake Bay," is the title of a program by Butch Kelly, a local science teacher, on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Science Museum lecture hall, fifth floor of Center in the Square. Kelly will share his findings from two weeks of travel and research along the James, including major sources and impacts of pollution. The talk is sponsored by the Roanoke River Group of the Sierra Club. The public is invited.
Preservationist to speak
Thomas Hylton, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of "Save Our Land, Save our Towns," is the keynote speaker for the 11th annual Virginia Preservation Conference, April 12 and 13 at Hotel Roanoke. Hylton's book is a photo-filled practical guide outlining innovative planning and land use preservation techniques in his home state of Pennsylvania. But the author says the guide can be applied in any community.
The conference's theme this year is "Entrepreneurial Preservation: Revitalizing Communities for the 21st Century." Participants will explore ways that preservation groups, owners of historic properties, local governments and individuals can adapt to changing times. There will be a special program for owners of historic properties, with tours of rehabilitation efforts at historic buildings in Roanoke and Fincastle.
The conference is sponsored by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and Preservation Alliance of Virginia. The fee for non-Alliance members is $155 for two days, including meals. Student discounts available. Call (540) 886-4362 for more information.
Valley Beautiful officers
Valley Beautiful Foundation Inc. elected new officers in February, including Lynn Davis of the Virginia Tech College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources, president; Charles Blankenship, retired land management planner for the U.S. Forest Service, vice president; Ann E. Weaver, retired executive secretary of Clean Valley Council, secretary; and Pam Ogden, civic leader, treasurer.
New board members are: Sydney Nordt, civic leader; Allan C. Robinson, retired from Kroger Co.; James R. Tompkins of Networking Solutions; Mary Boxley Utt, civic leader. Re-elected members are John M. Chaney, Jr., M. Rupert Cutler, Lucian Grove, William S. Hubbard, Sandra H. Murray and G. Franklin Flippin.
Hunters honor Apco
The National Wild Turkey Federation chose American Electric Power's former subsidiary, Appalachian Power Co., to receive its national Land Stewardship Award. The utility was recognized for improving wildlife habitat in its power line rights-of-way and forest land in 1995.
The award was presented to Dean Price, the company's land management supervisor and president of the Roanoke chapter of the turkey federation. AEP has planted wildlife food and cover in the rights-of-way, and provides a seed mixture and fertilizer to land owners willing to prepare the soil where rights-of-way pass through their property.
The plantings - a blend of clovers, rye grass, oats and other vegetation - help maintain the rights-of-way, and provides foliage for deer, food for birds and cover for other animals.
The award also recognizes AEP for its efforts in conservation education programs, and for encouraging hunting on some of its land. Del. Vic Thomas, D-Roanoke, nominated AEP to receive the award.
DEQ update
Tired of cruising the same old home pages on the Internet? Check out the Department of Environmental Quality's new home page. The site includes general information about the agency's waste, air and water programs and regulations, the current status of regulations in process, and upcoming board hearings and meetings. The World Wide Web address is: http://www.deq.state.va.us For more specific information, e-mail Bill Hayden, the DEQ public relations director, at wphaydendeq.state.va.us
The state Water Control Board has scheduled a Roanoke public hearing for 2 p.m. on April 11 in the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors meeting room. The board is reviewing revised regulations for discharge permits (VPDES) for domestic sewage discharges of 1,000 gallons per day or less. There are about 1,300 permits in the state, including 33 in the agency's Roanoke region. Most of the permits are for new homes that discharge into a stream or dry ditch because the land is not suitable for septic fields, and too far from public utilities, said Richard Ayers with the DEQ. Call Ayers at (804) 698-4075 for more information.
The Virginia Waste Management Board, based on legislation passed by the 1995 General Assembly, is proposing a regulation for voluntary remediation of property with solid waste, hazardous waste or petroleum contamination. The idea is to establish standards and procedures at sites where cleanup has not been clearly mandated by state or federal laws. The hope is that the contaminated sites could be cleaned to the point where they'd be commercially usable. The board is seeking public comment until April 20 before developing proposed regulations. Public hearings will be scheduled later. Call Walt Gulevich at (804) 698-4218 for more information.
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